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Patient Questions  /  What helps shin splints?

Foot & Ankle

What Helps Shin Splints?

Cutting back on the activity that caused them is the main fix. Shin splints usually come from doing too much running or jumping too soon. Easing off for a while, staying active in gentler ways, strengthening your legs and building back up gradually helps most people recover.

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Why shin splints happen

Shin splints are pain along the inside edge of the shinbone. They're common in runners, dancers, military recruits and people starting a new exercise program. The usual cause is overload: the bone and the muscles attached to it get more stress than they're ready for.

Common triggers include a sudden jump in mileage or pace, running on hard surfaces, worn-out shoes, and weak calf or hip muscles.

A stress fracture, a small crack in the bone, can feel similar early on. That's one reason shin pain that doesn't improve with rest deserves a check.

What helps

  • Relative rest. Cut back or pause the activity that hurts, but stay active with low-impact exercise like cycling.
  • Ice for 15 to 20 minutes after activity can ease soreness.
  • Strengthening your calves, feet and hips so they absorb more of the load.
  • A gradual return. Start with short, easy runs on softer ground and add a little at a time. A sudden return to your old routine often brings the pain back.
  • Check your shoes. Replace them if they're worn out.

Most shin splints settle within a few weeks with the right changes, though it varies from person to person.

When to see a doctor

See a doctor promptly if you have:

  • Pain in one small spot on the bone that hurts to press, or pain at rest or at night, which can be a stress fracture
  • Pain that keeps getting worse even after you cut back
  • Tightness, numbness or weakness in the lower leg during exercise that goes away when you stop
  • Severe pain, swelling and tightness in the lower leg after an injury: get emergency care
  • Swelling, warmth or redness in the calf, which needs urgent attention

How physical therapy at ARI can help

A physical therapist looks at your training, strength and the way you run or move, then builds a strengthening program and a step-by-step plan to get you back to your activity without the pain returning.

At ARI Physical Therapy in Bakersfield, every visit is one-on-one and in person with a licensed physical therapist, and our clinic director, Deepa Konnur, PT, MPT, OCS, is a board-certified Orthopedic Certified Specialist. We accept most private insurance plans and Medicare, and we have staff who speak Spanish and Hindi.

Read our full guide: Tendonitis and overuse injuries →

No referral needed to start. In California, you can see a physical therapist directly for up to 12 visits or 45 days, whichever comes first. Some insurance plans still require a referral for coverage; call us at (661) 282-8584 and we'll help you check.

Related questions

Ready to feel better?

Talk to a licensed physical therapist at ARI, one-on-one. Request an evaluation and we'll get back to you, usually within one business day.

Request an EvaluationCall (661) 282-8584

This page is general information, not a diagnosis. If you have symptoms, a licensed clinician should evaluate you.

Clinically reviewed by Deepa Konnur, PT, MPT, OCS, board-certified Orthopedic Certified Specialist · Reviewed October 2026