Shin pain: understand why and how to relieve it!

Does your shin or both shins hurt?

Physiotherapist, I’m coming back to the common causes of shin pain, how to know what you’ve got and what to do to relieve the pain!

As always, I draw on the results of the research teams working on this subject.

Summary: shin splints are very often caused by tibial periostitis, a benign condition which usually heals on its own if you adapt your activities. More rarely, it can be a stress fracture, inflammation of a tendon, a fracture or other even rarer causes.

♻️ Last update: November 3, 2025
Written by Nelly Darbois, physiotherapist and scientific editor

What are the most common shin pain symptoms?

First, I’m going to take a look at the most common types of shin pain. This will enable us to sort out the most likely cause!

The most common symptoms of shin pain	Explanations
Shin pain (just one, left or right, it doesn’t matter)	You can have tibial periostitis (the most common cause of tibial pain – I’ll come back to this later!) with only one affected tibia.
Pain in shins (both)	Very often, pain in the 2 tibias at the same time is linked to tibial periostitis.
Running shin pain (pain in my shin when I run)	Running is the sport most associated with pain along the tibia, often periostitis.
Shin pain without sport	Tibial periostitis (the most common cause of tibial pain) can occur even without running, walking or other sports. For example, following a change of footwear or daily activity
Shin pain on walking	Tibial periostitis also often occurs while walking
Pain along the tibia, on the tibia, in front of the tibia	It’s difficult to make a diagnosis based solely on the location of the pain, even if this can help guide the diagnosis.
Tibial curvature	The muscle along the tibia is the tibialis anterior (previously known as the anterior hamstring). It can indeed be affected by aches and pains, especially following activities that require the foot to be lifted much higher than usual (walking, jumping, running, long car journeys, etc.).
Shin pain running beginner	Being a beginner runner doesn’t necessarily help to differentiate between a diagnosis of periostitis or a stress fracture, as these 2 problems can affect a beginner as well as someone much more accustomed to running!
Shin muscle pain	The tibialis anterior is the muscle along the tibia. Pain can be associated with this muscle, as in the case of aches and pains. But often the pain felt in the muscle actually comes from the periosteum (at the level of the bone).
Shin pain at rest	Quite typical of periositis, or tendon pain. Any pain can occur at rest. Shin splints that ONLY occur at rest, especially at night, are more likely to be growing pains.
Lower shin pain	Typical +++ of tibial periostitis
Ankle pain moving up the tibia	Typical +++ of tibial periostitis
Pain in the shin at night	If it occurs ONLY at night, it suggests growing pains, especially in children between the ages of 3 and 8.
Pain from hip to shin	In this article, I’ll be focusing on pain only in the tibia (or between the ankle and the knee). I won’t deal with pain that extends to the hip.
Pain in the upper tibia below the knee	It’s quite rare to have periositis when the pain is actually below the knee. Several tendons are inserted below the knee, and the pain may be tendinous in origin, a simple overload, a stress fracture, and so on.
Pain hip knee shin ankle	In this article, I focus on pain in the tibia (or between the ankle and the knee). I won’t deal with pain that affects the whole lower limb.
Internal or external shin pain	Pain on the medial side of the tibia suggests periostitis, while pain on the lateral side suggests tendon pain or another problem.
Pain in inner leg (tibialis anterior)	It’s the muscle along the tibia, and you can indeed feel pain in relation to this muscle. But that doesn’t necessarily mean that you have a problem with this muscle; it could be related to structures under or on this muscle, or next to it!
Stabbing pain in the shin at rest	Simple periostitis can cause stabbing pain
Shin splints	If you have pain in the calf area behind the leg, it’s more likely to be due to muscle soreness or another problem, rather than periostitis.
Shin bone pain	Sometimes you can feel bone-like pain without having a bone problem. But it can indicate periostitis, among other things.
Foot pain rising into the tibia	Fairly typical of periositis or tendon pain
Shin pain on touch	Quite typical of periositis, or tendon pain.
Shin pain afterwards	If the tibia hurts immediately after a blow, the diagnosis of periostitis or stress fracture should be ruled out. Instead, a simple contusion or, more rarely, a fracture should be considered.

Are you lost with all this?

I will now go into a little more detail on the 3 most frequent causes of shin pain: mainly periostitis, and to a lesser extent

Why I have shin pain: the most common causes!

I will now give a little more detail on the most common causes of shin pain:

1. +++ periostitis ;
2. fatigue fractures ;
3. pain caused by tendons or overload;
4. other causes.

My aim here is to help you see things more clearly, even if you have no training in the health field.

If you’re confused about all this, it’s probably a good idea to seek the advice of a professional who’s used to detecting and managing this type of pain!

How can you tell if you have periostitis?

14-20% of runners suffer from periostitis at least once in their lives (McClure 2022).

Periostitis can also be caused by factors such as obesity, metabolic diseases and infections, and can therefore be present in people who do not engage in strenuous sporting activities.

This is the most common cause of shin splints.

So if you have pain in your shinbone, it’s probably periostitis!

✅ Especially if you’ve started a new sporting or professional activity that involves more walking, standing or running. Or if you’ve increased the amount of time you devote to this type of activity.

✅ Especially if the pain increases when you walk or run, and decreases or even disappears at rest (often after several days’ rest).

❌ If you’ve had a shock to the tibia, an accident, on the other hand, it’s very unlikely that you’ll have periostitis.

Periostitis is an inflammation of the periosteum, the fibrous membrane covering the bone. It usually occurs in response to overuse or irritation of muscles and tendons attached to the bone.

Although the pain is sometimes quite severe, shin splints generally heals well with more rest.

How do you know if you have a stress fracture in your tibia?

The symptoms of a stress fracture of the tibia are quite similar to those of tibial periostitis. But usually more intense:

• you really have trouble walking, leaning on your leg;
• the pain diminishes with rest but does not disappear completely;
• you’ve really increased the amount of physical activity you can do with your lower limbs.

Only complementary imaging such as an MRI, CT scan or X-ray can confirm that you have a fracture and not periostitis.

But these examinations are not harmless, so they are not always prescribed: questioning and examination allow experienced professionals to sort things out!

See my more comprehensive article on tibial stress fractures.

Is it tendon pain or overload pain?

Several tendons insert or pass close to the tibia (tendons always insert on a bone).

Here are those that can cause shin pain:

• tendons of the tibialis anterior and posterior muscles;
• long fibular tendon ;
• tendon of the long flexor of the hallux (big toe) (pain more towards the ankle).

Sometimes it’s simply referred to as “overload pain” in the tibia. When there’s no real reason to believe that the pain is caused by inflammation of a particular structure.

In any case, whether you have periostitis, tendon pain or overload pain, the treatment and pain relief options are the same!

It‘s more the symptoms that guide treatment than the entity involved, or the name given to your problem.

How do we know if our shin pain is caused by something else?

Here are other possible causes of shin pain.

They are more difficult to detect by someone who is not used to seeing them regularly:

• simple contusion following a blow;
• growing pains (especially in children aged 3 to 8, and particularly if they occur in the late afternoon or at night);
• rheumatic disease (such as spondylitis or polyarthritis);
• compartment syndrome : pain is severe on exertion and diminishes within 30 minutes. It always occurs after the same amount of effort. Tingling and loss of strength in the foot may be felt;
• trapped popliteal artery syndrome: cramping sensation that appears after a certain amount of effort. Tingling and numbness of the foot may be present; pain may be triggered by running (especially uphill) or repetitive jumping;
• arterial endofibrosis;
• saphenous nerve neuropathy ;
• tibial or fibular neuropathy;
• lumbar radiculopathy and spinal stenosis.

Source: Edoardo Bonasia 2015

When should you consult a doctor about shin pain?

My aim with this article is to reassure you about the origin of your shin pain, whether or not you’ve already consulted a specialist.

Here are the 2 scenarios you’re likely to encounter.

Case 1: You have already consulted us about your shin pain.

In this case, if you’re still looking for information on the Internet about your problem, it’s probably because you still need to be reassured about this pain. Or you’re trying to find out if you’re missing something.

With this article, I hope to answer any questions you may still have!

If not, you can always seek a second opinion. Even if multiplying medical opinions can sometimes lead to more problems and losses than solutions!

Case 2: You have not yet consulted us about your shin pain.

✅ Situation A: The information in this article has reassured you. You’ve identified the probable cause of your problem, so you’re not particularly worried.

In this case, I don’t think a consultation is necessary. But of course, you can always take advantage of a scheduled consultation with your doctor for something else to talk about your problem, if it still persists at the next scheduled medical appointment!

❌ Situation B: the information in this article hasn’t reassured you. You feel worried or lost.

In this case, a consultation seems appropriate!

Who to consult ? I advise you to choose one of the following:

• your GP: these professionals will be able to refer you if necessary. They are used to seeing people with occasional or chronic shin pain and have a good overview;
• your physiotherapist : more and more physiotherapists can be seen without a doctor’s prescription. General physiotherapists and sports physiotherapists are among the professionals most accustomed to treating people with musculoskeletal problems, the broad category in which shin pain is classified.

How can I relieve shin pain?

If your shin pain has a specific origin, such as a stress fracture or trapped popliteal artery syndrome, you may be offered specific treatment.

In the vast majority of cases, treatment is conservative: in other words, there’s no need for surgery. There are rarely any drugs to treat the problem, and adaptation of physical activities (often with a period of total or relative rest) is often the basis.

Here are some more comprehensive articles I’ve already done on the subject, I’ll update this article when more are published!

• Treatment of shin splints
• Treatment of a stress fracture of the tibia
• Treatment of growing pains

Here are some general tips for relieving shin pain related to overload (i.e. periostitis, tendon problems or overload).

How long does shin pain last?

On average, shin pain associated with periostitis lasts 58 days, no matter what you do (Moen 2012). For pain of tendon origin, we have less empirical data, but it’s also common to have pain lasting several weeks or months, whatever you do.

These pains don’t necessarily prevent you from doing certain things. You have to find a compromise between “doing nothing” and doing too much!

Can the cause of shin pain be treated?

Treating the cause of shin splints often comes down to :

1. identify the physical activity that most triggers or aggravates shin pain;
2. reduce the frequency, intensity or duration of the activity.

The following activities are frequently the cause of these pains:

• prolonged standing (when working in a standing position, doing housework, DIY, etc.);
• walking ;
• running ;
• fighting sports ;
• ball sports (soccer, handball, volleyball) ;
• arthletics, jumps ;
• weight training (especially if you do a lot of leg work) ;
• gymnastics.

What can be done to relieve shin pain?

Here are a few tools to relieve pain in the moment, if you really feel the need. Most have not been tested against a placebo or other treatment:

• apply cold ;
• Wear compression socks (compression can provide relief);
• use a TENS-type analgesic current;
• perform certain stretches;
• massage along the shin (manually, with a mechanical device, ice cubes, massage gun, etc.);
• take prescription or non-prescription painkillers;
• opt for shoes that are more comfortable to walk or stand in (often soft sneakers with thick soles);
• custom-made or mass-produced insoles.