An injury-related problem commonly called shin splints is a pain that occurs along the shinbone (tibia) in your lower leg as a result of vigorous athletic activity. The tibia is the larger of the two bones between your knee and ankle. The pain occurs in locations where tiny fibers of the membrane that attach muscles to your tibia become irritated and inflamed.
The medical term for this condition is medial tibial stress syndrome. The medial surface of the tibia is the surface that faces the inside of your leg. Sometimes, people mistakenly use the term shin splints to refer to a wider array of lower leg problems.
Common causes of shin splints include overuse, training too intensively or having flat arches in your feet. Exercise-related leg pain is common among people who participate in activities that involve repeated impact of their feet on hard surfaces, such as running, basketball, aerobic dancing and tennis.
Most of the time, you can treat shin splints with self-care steps and rest. You can prevent them from recurring by stretching, using proper shoe inserts and modifying your exercise routine.
