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Select location Date and time. Enter code. Enable Javascript for audio controls. Privacy Policy. Terms of use. See More. Check if you have shin splints Shin splints usually happen when you do exercise like running. You will have pain and tenderness along the front of your lower leg shin. Things you can do to help Shin splints usually get better within a few weeks. Do take paracetamol or ibuprofen to ease the pain put an ice pack or bag of frozen vegetables in a towel on your shin for up to 20 minutes every 2 to 3 hours switch to gentle exercise such as yoga or swimming while healing exercise on soft ground, if you can, when you're feeling better warm up before exercise and stretch after exercise make sure your trainers or shoes support your feet properly.
Non-urgent advice: See a GP if:. Your doctor will usually be able to diagnose shin splints during a physical exam. Doctors may prescribe diagnostic tests such as imaging scans and X-rays if they suspect that you might be suffering from bone fractures or a condition other than shin splints.
Shin splints normally require that you take a break from certain physical activities and give your legs time to rest. The discomfort will usually resolve completely in a few hours or at most in a few days with rest and limited activity. The suggested amount of downtime is typically about two weeks. During this time, you can engage in sports or activities that are less likely to cause additional harm to your legs. These activities include swimming or walking.
Check with your doctor before restarting any activities. Surgery is rarely used to treat shin splints. However, if your shin splints are causing severe pain and symptoms last for more than several months, your doctor may recommend surgery. This surgery is known as a fasciotomy.
In this procedure, your doctor will make small cuts in the fascia tissue surrounding your calf muscles. This can potentially relieve some of the pain caused by shin splints. Any intensive exercise program requires strengthening of all surrounding muscle groups. Workouts should be varied to avoid overuse and trauma to any particular muscle group.
People with shin splints need to cut down or avoid all activities that cause pain. Walking and non-weight bearing exercises like swimming or riding a bike usually do not cause pain and can be continued.
Depending on how severe the symptoms are, it can take up to 4—6 weeks of rest before a person should return to sports. Shin splints usually get completely better with rest. To help prevent shin splints from coming back:. Reviewed by: Sarah R. Gibson, MD. Larger text size Large text size Regular text size. What Are Shin Splints?
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