If you want to get better, your healthcare provider might suggest some exercises. It is important to consult with your healthcare provider or physical therapist to determine the most effective exercises for your healing process and to learn the correct and safe way to perform them.
You can begin doing all of these exercises immediately.
- Towel stretch: Sit on a hard surface with your injured leg stretched out in front of you. Loop a towel around your toes and the ball of your foot and pull the towel toward your body keeping your leg straight. Hold this position for 15 to 30 seconds and then relax. Repeat 3 times.
If you do not feel much tension using the towel, opt for the standing calf stretch instead.
- Standing calf stretch: Stand facing a wall with your hands on the wall at about eye level. Keep your injured leg back with your heel on the floor. Keep the other leg forward with the knee bent. Turn your back foot slightly inward (as if you were pigeon-toed). Slowly lean into the wall until you feel a stretch in the back of your calf. Hold the stretch for 15 to 30 seconds. Return to the starting position. Repeat 3 times. Do this exercise several times each day.
- Anterior compartment stretch: Stand sideways next to a wall or chair with your injured leg further from the wall or chair. Put one hand on the wall or chair for balance. Bend the knee of your injured leg and grab the front of your foot. Bend the front of the foot toward your heel. You should feel a stretch in the front of your shin. Hold for 15 to 30 seconds. Repeat 3 times.
- Resisted ankle dorsiflexion: Tie a knot in one end of the elastic tubing and shut the knot in a door. Tie a loop in the other end of the tubing and put the foot on your injured side through the loop so that the tubing goes around the top of the foot. Sit facing the door with your injured leg straight out in front of you. Move away from the door until there is tension in the tubing. Keeping your leg straight, pull the top of your foot toward your body, stretching the tubing. Slowly return to the starting position. Do 2 sets of 15.
- Ankle range of motion: Sit or lie down with your legs straight and your knees pointing toward the ceiling. Point your toes on your injured side toward your nose, then away from your body. Point your toes in toward your other foot and then out away from your other foot. Finally, move the top of your foot in circles. Move only your foot and ankle. Don’t move your leg. Repeat 10 times in each direction. Push hard in all directions.
- Heel raise: Stand behind a chair or counter with both feet flat on the floor. Using the chair or counter as a support, rise up onto your toes and hold for 5 seconds. Then slowly lower yourself down without holding onto the support. (It’s OK to keep holding onto the support if you need to.) When this exercise becomes less painful, try doing this exercise while you are standing on the injured leg only. Repeat 15 times. Do 2 sets of 15. Rest 30 seconds between sets.
- Resisted ankle inversion: Sit with your legs stretched out in front of you. Cross the ankle of your uninjured leg over your other ankle. Wrap elastic tubing around the ball of the foot of your injured leg and then loop it around your other foot so that the tubing is anchored there at one end. Hold the other end of the tubing in your hand. Turn the foot of your injured leg inward and upward. This will stretch the tubing. Return to the starting position. Do 2 sets of 15.
- Standing toe raise: Stand with your feet flat on the floor. Rock back onto your heels and lift your toes off the floor. Hold for 5 seconds and then put your toes back on the floor. Do 2 sets of 15.
- Balance and reach exercises: Stand next to a chair with your injured leg farther from the chair. The chair will provide support if you need it. Stand on the foot of your injured leg and bend your knee slightly.
- With the hand that is farther away from the chair, reach forward in front of you by bending at the waist. Avoid bending your knee any more as you do this. Repeat this 15 times. To make the exercise more challenging, reach farther in front of you. Do 2 sets of 15.
- Reach the hand that is farther away from the chair across your body toward the chair. The farther you reach, the more challenging the exercise. Do 2 sets of 15.
- Resisted hip abduction: Stand sideways near a door with your injured side further from the door. Tie elastic tubing around the ankle on your injured side. Knot the other end of the tubing and close the knot in the door near the floor. Pull the tubing out to the side, keeping your leg straight. Return to the starting position. Do 2 sets of 15. For more resistance, move farther away from the door.
Repeat this exercise for the other leg, without adding new information or removing any information, while maintaining the same meaning.
How to Deal With Shin Splint Pain
Even the most motivated runner can be disrupted by shin splints. It would be ideal to prevent them entirely, but this is not always feasible.
To address shin splints in the comfort of your own home, adhere to the self-care approach known as RICE (Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation) method.
- Rest: Avoid high-impact activities, especially those that caused your shin splint pain. It can take up to two months for shin splints to get better—even longer if you don’t give them adequate rest.
- Ice: Apply ice packs to your shins to ease pain and swelling. You can apply an ice pack for 20 to 30 minutes at a time, every three to four hours. Never apply ice directly to your skin.
- Compression: Compression socks increase blood flow to your shins to aid with healing and reduce swelling.6 If you don’t have compression socks, you can use an elastic bandage (such as an ACE wrap) instead. Avoid wrapping your shins too tight, as this can cause more swelling.
- Elevation: While at-rest or icing, prop your leg up so that your shin is above the level of your heart. Elevating your shins improves blood flow to reduce swelling.
Before resuming exercise, ensure that you have been free of shin splint pain for a minimum of two weeks. When you do start exercising again, be cautious and gradually increase the intensity levels. If you experience a recurrence of shin splint pain, cease the activity immediately and apply the RICE method.
It is important to warm up and stretch thoroughly before each exercise session. Additionally, you should:7
- Try to run on soft surfaces.
- Get adequate rest between runs.
- Try to avoid heel striking and toe running, especially when running downhill.
- Wear supportive shoes or orthotics to reduce stress in your shins.
Also, it should be noted that your running posture has a significant impact. In a 2019 study, the significance of “kinematic” factors, such as the placement of the feet while running, is highlighted. Proper kinematics can greatly contribute to the prevention and recovery of shin splints.
If you currently have shin splints or want to prevent them in the future, it is wise to seek the assistance of a physical therapist who specializes in helping athletes dealing with this troublesome issue.
Moving forward, a physical therapist has the ability to assist you in enhancing your running technique to decrease the possibility of acquiring shin splints.
Summary
Shin splints are frequently experienced by runners and other athletes. Luckily, several exercises are available to treat or avert them. These exercises assist in stretching and reinforcing the shin, as well as the foot and leg muscles that provide support.
When beginning your shin splint exercises, start at a slow pace and gradually increase the number of sets you perform once you feel prepared. Remember to halt and take breaks if you experience any discomfort.
