Shin Splints: Dealing with Medial Tibial Stress Syndrome

A quick little update.
Initially, I assumed my shin splints were just due to being out of shape, which is probably true, but it’s been a month and the pain is actually getting worse. Being north of 200 pounds definitely doesn't help, but after falling down an internet rabbit hole today, I realized the culprit might actually be my running form.
Since I clearly have no idea what I'm doing, I’ve been heel-striking this whole time. Turns out, hitting the pavement with your heel first is one of the primary reasons for leg pain. You're supposed to land on the midfoot or forefoot first, letting the heel touch down second. It softens that initial impact—which is obviously what's causing all this tightness and soreness. Also, apparently, you need more "heel to butt" during the recovery phase. I won't go overboard, but I definitely need to lift my feet higher than I currently do.
Well, time to test it out.

Paul Hernandez8 said:Also, I’m sure my weight being over 200 pounds plays a part, but after digging through some running forums today, I realized the biggest culprit might actually be my running form.

Look... the first thing is definitely the weight. Trust me, I know—I’m about 35 pounds heavier than you and I dealt with the exact same issue.😉

Your legs just aren't "conditioned" for this kind of impact yet... though honestly, even pro football players deal with this.

Last year, I finally stopped dealing with the pain after I took a little break. Instead of running, I switched to power walking, and I made sure to walk heel-to-toe (in my shoes, obviously). Give it a shot; you'll feel that tension in your heel muscles and realize why it helps.

Then, naturally, I stopped running entirely, only to start back up again this year... and of course, the same problems popped right back up because:
- I don't stretch nearly enough
- My brain is a bit broken, so I push too hard, too fast 6.2 miles. Since it didn't hurt immediately, I just kept going (apparently my brain pumps out way too much dopamine during exercise, so I can't seem to 😁)

As for running technique... yeah, you're supposed to stay on the balls of your feet, but don't kid yourself—that alone won't fix shin splints. And be careful how you land on your toes; if you overdo it, you'll burn out your calves and end up feeling absolutely wrecked on both shins.😁

So, I'm taking another break. I'm moving to walking... with some really intense running intervals mixed in... and more heel-to-toe walking. 🙄

I stumbled upon this thread by accident and noticed some symptoms that mirror my own. Specifically, I get pain in my shin muscles along the outer edge of the bone on both legs. It fluctuates in intensity, but it’s always a nuisance. If I pause for about 30 seconds, the pain subsides, allowing me to run for another 5 to 10 minutes before it returns. Interestingly, I don't experience this while playing soccer, yet it flares up during running. I see others here have discussed pain on the inner side of the bone; mine is on the outside, but the principle seems identical. Aside from the nuances, I was wondering if anyone found magnesium to be an effective remedy?

Brandon Thompson3 said:I sort of stumbled upon this thread by accident, and I have to say, the symptoms sound remarkably similar to what I’ve been dealing with myself. Basically, whenever I go out for a run, I get this nagging pain in my shin—specifically along the outer side of the bone—and it happens in both legs. Sometimes it’s quite intense, and other times it’s more of a dull ache, but it’s always there, being a nuisance. If I just stop for maybe thirty seconds, the pain vanishes, allowing me to jog for another five or ten minutes before it returns. What I find rather peculiar, though, is that it doesn't bother me at all when I'm playing soccer, yet the moment I switch to running, there it is. I see people here discussing pain on the inner side of the bone, whereas mine is on the outer side, but I suppose the underlying principle remains the same, even if the nuances differ slightly. So, I was wondering, has anyone actually found magnesium to be of any real assistance in these cases?

My situation is somewhat analogous, though the discomfort is located on the 'front' side.

Actually, I suppose I shouldn't presume to know whether you mean the medial or lateral sides.

By 'inner side,' are we referring to the part facing your other leg, or are we talking about the anterior versus posterior aspects of the limb?

To put it bluntly, I experience pain in the front of my shins for a short duration immediately following a run, after which it eventually subsides.

It is highly probable that this occurs simply because I neglect to stretch properly; I suppose I am just being rather lazy about it.

As for magnesium, I haven't ventured into trying that myself.

P.S. I am a complete novice at this; I can manage about a half-mile at a very leisurely pace, especially considering I am likely carrying at least 45 pounds of excess weight.

Exactly. It's right on the front of the lower leg, along the shin muscle. I'll try some magnesium and see if that does the trick.

I’ve been obsessively searching for a way to categorize these symptoms, and honestly, I feel like I finally found my tribe here. It’s been happening forever—even back in high school about ten years ago—and now that I’m finally trying to get active again and take up running, it’s right back. I get this intense, burning sensation in my lower shin that just stops me in my tracks. Even walking uphill a bit too fast triggers it. My right foot pronates pretty heavily, too. I wonder if my posture is messing things up since my arches aren't exactly flat. I'm not overweight or anything, just kind of skinny-fat, I guess.

So, what should I even do? Should I actually try to start running and see if I can find a decent pace and distance, or should I just pick up something else entirely? I get similar pains when I'm rollerblading or cycling, but running... man, running is definitely the worst.

So, I’ve been playing soccer for ten years now, but for the last three, my calves have been a total nightmare due to constant cramping. I managed to get those cramps somewhat under control recently, but about eighteen months ago, things changed. While walking fast, I started feeling pain on the opposite side of the calf—right along that bone running from my knee down to my foot, plus some pain in the sides of the calf. At first, it didn't stop me from playing, but six months ago, the pain spiked to the point where I can't even finish a game. It gets so intense that I can barely walk during a match; my legs just go numb and I lose all touch with the ball. I've spent the last year bouncing between different hospitals and private clinics, but everyone just refers me to someone else. No one can give me a straight answer on what's actually going on. I hope this makes sense, because it's hard to explain properly. I'm really hoping someone here can help me out. Getting back to playing normally would mean everything. Thanks 🙂