Shin Splints: How Sports Massage Helps Sore Shins Between Runs

Shin splints are a dull or sore ache along the inside edge of your shin bone, usually from running or training more than your legs were ready for, and massage for shin splints works on the tight calf and shin muscles around the sore spot. It can ease that tightness, but pain on one small spot of the bone, or pain that stays when you rest, needs a doctor first because it can be a stress fracture. Shin splints are your shins' way of saying the training plan has too many exclamation marks.

Between runs is when your legs do their repair work, and a local therapist can bring sports massage sessions to your home, so you can rest while someone else deals with the tight spots.

What Are Shin Splints?

Shin splints is the everyday name for pain along the front and inner edge of your lower leg, and most people feel it as a dull ache that shows up while they run and lingers afterwards. It's a very common complaint among runners, whether they're new or have a few marathons behind them.

Where Do Shin Splints Hurt?

Shin splints usually hurt along the inner edge of the shin bone, in the lower half of your leg, and the soreness usually spreads along a stretch of the bone and doesn't sit on one tiny spot. People describe a dull ache that starts at the beginning of a run, eases a little once they warm up and comes back when they stop. The area often feels tender when you press along the inner shin.

What Is Medial Tibial Stress Syndrome?

Medial tibial stress syndrome, or MTSS, is the medical name many doctors and physiotherapists use for shin splints. It describes irritation along the inner shin, where the leg muscles and the thin tissue around the bone take a lot of load. Doctors and physiotherapists still debate exactly what causes it, so a proper check beats a guess.

Who Gets Shin Splints?

Shin splints turn up most in runners, especially people new to running and anyone who has jumped their distance or speed quickly. They also show up in people returning after a break, in field and court sport players, and in people who spend long days on hard floors. If your legs are doing more than they're used to, the shins often say so first, and sports massage for runners starts from the same load.

Shin Splints vs Stress Fracture: How to Tell the Difference

A stress fracture is a tiny crack in the bone from repeated load, and it can feel a lot like shin splints at first, so it helps to know the difference. The table sets out the descriptions people most often give, and only a doctor can say which one you have.

Signs of a Possible Stress Fracture

A stress fracture can leave a few clues that shin splints usually don't:

• Pain on one small spot of the shin bone
• Sharp pain when you press that spot
• Pain that gets worse with each run, or hurts when you walk
• An ache at rest or at night
• Swelling, bruising or warmth over the spot
• Pain that doesn't ease after a few days of rest

Why a Doctor Has to Check First

A doctor can examine your leg and may arrange a scan, and that's the only way to know what you're dealing with. Massage suits tight muscles, and it's the wrong move on a bone that might have a crack in it, so your doctor's view comes first. If your shin pain keeps coming back or doesn't ease with rest, ask your doctor to look at it, and a mobile physiotherapy visit can check how you move.

Red Flags: When to Stop and See a Doctor

Most shin soreness is the common kind, but a few signs mean you stop running and see a doctor first. This is the one section where we'd rather lose you from your training plan for a week than for a season.

Call 911 for These Signs

Call 911 if you've hurt your leg in a fall, twist or knock and the pain is severe, the leg looks out of shape or you can't put weight on it. Also call if your shin or calf is very tight and swollen with strong pain, numbness or a cold, pale foot, or if calf swelling comes with chest pain or shortness of breath. Don't arrange massage for shin splints and don't wait it out, because these signs need urgent medical care.

See a Doctor Before Any Massage for These Signs

See a doctor before any massage, and stop running until they've looked at it, if you notice any of these:

• Pain on one small spot of the shin bone
• Pain at rest or at night
• Pain that gets worse with every run or hurts when you walk
• Swelling, bruising or warmth over the shin
• Numbness, tingling or weakness in the foot
• Pain after a fall, twist or knock
• A fever, or pain that keeps getting worse

What This Page Is and Isn't

This page is general information about shin splints and massage, and it isn't medical advice. It doesn't diagnose the cause of your shin pain, and it doesn't promise that massage will fix shin splints. Massage suits muscle tightness once a doctor has ruled out anything else, so check with your doctor first if you have any red flag or any doubt.

What Causes Shin Splints?

Shin splints build up when the load on your lower legs outruns what they're ready for, and a few things usually combine. Knowing which ones apply to you is the first step to keeping them from coming back.

Training Load: Too Much, Too Soon

A sudden jump in distance, speed, hills or number of runs per week is the classic setup for shin splints. Your legs need time to adapt to extra load, and a big change in a short time can leave the shins sore. A new pair of shoes won't fix a training plan that sprints before it can jog.

Shoes, Surfaces and Hills

Worn-out shoes, hard surfaces like concrete and a lot of downhill running can all raise the load on your shins. If your shoes have lost their bounce, or most of your runs are on the same hard path, the shins can notice before you do. Switching surfaces, rotating shoes and saving the hills for a later week are cheap changes.

Tight Calves and Tired Hips

Your calves do the heavy lifting on every step and get a foam roller as a thank-you. When the calf and ankle feel stiff, or the hips tire and hand work to the lower leg, the shin can take extra strain. Runners with sore shins often have grumbly knees too, and a tight IT band can come from the same sudden jump in training.

Running Style, Feet and Ankles

How your foot lands and how stiff your ankles are can change the load on your shin. A physiotherapist can watch you run and look at your feet, ankles and hips, and they can tell you whether anything about your style needs changing.

How Massage Helps Sore Shins

Massage for shin splints works on the muscles around the sore spot, and it fits best as one part of a plan and not a stand-alone fix.

Can Massage Help Shin Splints?

Massage for shin splints can ease tight muscles in the calves and along the shin, and some people feel looser and more comfortable afterwards, but it doesn't heal the shin or replace rest, a training plan or a doctor's check. Shin splints relief usually involves more than one thing, and massage is one part of it. No session can promise to change what's going on in the bone.

Shin Splints Treatment: Where Massage Fits

Shin splints treatment usually means a few things working together: rest from whatever sets the pain off, a sensible way back into training, a physiotherapist's plan and sometimes better shoes. Massage sits alongside those and works on the tight muscles, while the rest of the plan deals with the load that caused the soreness. Your doctor or physiotherapist is the right person to put the plan together.

Sports Massage for the Calves and Shin Muscles

Sports massage uses firm, specific pressure, and for sore shins your therapist usually works on the calf muscles at the back of the leg, the muscles along the front and inner shin and sometimes the feet and hips. Sports massage follows the idea of easing the muscles that take the pounding. Your therapist builds the pressure slowly and checks in as they go, so you can ask for firmer or lighter at any point.

Remedial Massage When Shins Keep Flaring

Remedial massage sessions start with a conversation about where the shins hurt, how much you run and what has changed lately, then build a plan that usually covers the calves, ankles and hips. They suit shins that keep flaring up between runs, and the plan can change as your training does.

Why Pressing on the Shin Bone Itself Doesn't Help

The sore edge of the shin is bone and the tissue on it, and your therapist works on the muscles beside it and usually avoids pressing hard on the tender strip. A stress fracture would make pressing on the bone a bad idea, which is one more reason to rule it out first.

Assisted Stretching for the Calves and Ankles

Assisted stretching sessions use guided stretches for the calves and ankles, with your therapist holding the position and you doing the breathing. It works well after massage has softened the tight areas, and someone else holds the stretch so you can relax into it.

What Happens in a Sports Massage for Shin Splints

A sports massage for shin splints is firmer than a relaxation massage, and it follows a predictable order.

Before the Session: The Conversation

Your therapist asks where it hurts, when it started, how many runs you do each week, what has changed lately and what shoes you wear. Say if you've had any red flag signs from the section above. Your answers decide which muscles get the most time in your massage for shin splints and how firmly your therapist works.

During the Session: Positions and Pressure

You usually lie face down so your therapist can work the calves, then on your back for the muscles along the shin and front of the leg. Please keep your underwear on and lie under a sheet or a towel, and your therapist uncovers only the leg they're working on. Expect firm pressure that feels like a deep ache in the tight spots, never a sharp or frightening pain, and speak up if it's too much.

After the Session: What to Do Next

Some people feel a little tender the next day, like after a hard workout, and some feel looser right away. Walk gently, keep to your normal routine and tell your therapist or doctor if the pain gets sharper, settles on one spot or spreads. An easy walk beats a hard run on the day after a session.

Sports Massage Before Races and Hard Weeks

Tell your therapist about any race or big training week coming up, so they can adjust how firmly they work and which muscles they focus on. A session close to an event suits a lighter touch than one in the middle of a training block, and your therapist can advise on timing.

How Often Do People Arrange Sports Massage for Sore Shins?

Your doctor or physiotherapist and your therapist decide how often makes sense, and it depends on your training load and what keeps feeding the soreness. On Blys you can set sessions to repeat and ask for the same provider each time, so the person arriving already knows your legs, your training and what worked last time.

Shin Splints Relief Between Sessions: Load and Footwear

Massage settles the muscles, and how you train decides whether the soreness comes back.

Build Mileage Gradually

Increase your distance, speed or number of runs gradually, and give each change a few weeks to settle before you add another. A steady build usually beats a heroic week, and an easy week now and then gives the shins a chance to catch up.

Choose and Rotate Shoes

Shoes that suit your feet and still have their cushioning help take some of the load off the shins. When your shoes feel flat or worn, or you've switched to a very different kind, give your legs extra time to adjust. A running shoe shop or a physiotherapist can help you pick a pair.

Strength, Warm-Up and Rest Days

Strengthening the calves, ankles and hips and warming up before you head out are common suggestions for runners with sore shins. A physiotherapist can show you exercises that suit your body, and many of them can do it at your home. Rest days aren't lazy, since that's when the legs adapt, and they're a big part of shin splints relief.

Keep Fit Without Pounding the Shins

A swim, a spin or a session on the cross-trainer can keep your fitness ticking over while the shins calm down. Ask your doctor or physiotherapist which activities suit your situation, and stop anything that brings back the sharp pain, since shin splints relief comes from easing the load and not from pushing through.

Arranging Sports Massage at Home Between Runs With Blys

After a run, the last thing sore shins want is a car trip, and a therapist who comes to you fixes that.

Why Home Works Between Runs

After a run, a trip to a clinic means sitting in a car with tired legs, while a session at home lets you shower, eat and put your feet up. A session of sports massage at home fits around training, and bookings run from 6 am to midnight, seven days a week, so an evening session after a run works.

What to Expect When Your Therapist Arrives

Your therapist brings the table, fresh linen, towels and massage oil or lotion, and you only need to clear about 2 x 2 metres of floor. You're not charged until a provider confirms your booking, and same-day times depend on availability. A quiet room and a sturdy chair nearby are all the space you need.

What to Put in Your Booking Notes

Put which shin hurts, how many runs you do each week, what shoes you wear and the style you'd like in your booking notes, whether sports or remedial. Add anything your doctor or physiotherapist has told you, so your therapist arrives knowing what to focus on and what to avoid.

Once your doctor has seen your shins, a session at home between runs is an easy way to look after your legs, and the sofa is already there.

Sore Shins After a Run? Arrange a Sports Massage at Home →

Frequently Asked Questions

These are the questions runners type into search once their shins start complaining.

Can you run with shin splints?

It depends on how sore your shins are, and a doctor or physiotherapist can advise on whether to ease back or keep going with changes. Running through sharp pain, or pain that gets worse as you go, often prolongs the problem, so get it checked.

How long do shin splints last?

It depends on how long the soreness has been building, how much you change your training and what's feeding it. Shin splints treatment is mostly about easing the load, so mild soreness can settle, while a stubborn case needs a physiotherapist's plan, and you should see one if it isn't improving.

Should I stretch sore shins?

Gentle stretching of the calves and ankles can feel good for some people, but stretching a sore shin hard can make it angrier. Ask a physiotherapist to show you a stretch that suits you, and stop if you feel sharp pain.

Is heat or ice better for shin splints?

Many people find ice comfortable on a sore shin after a run, and some prefer heat on tight calves, and either can be a reasonable thing to try for comfort. Ask your doctor or physiotherapist what suits your situation, and don't use either on skin that's numb or injured.

Why do my shins hurt at the start of a run and then ease off?

Shin splints often ache at the start of a run, ease as you warm up and come back afterwards. That doesn't mean it's harmless, so see a doctor if the pain stays on one spot, gets worse as you run or follows you into the night.

Can walking cause shin splints?

It can, especially on hard floors or after a sudden jump in how much you walk or stand. Shoes with worn cushioning and a lot of time on your feet can load the shins like a run would, and a physiotherapist can look at your set-up.