How to Heal Recurring Shin Splints (I Healed Mine After 5+ Years)

Here’s the thing – I haven’t run more than a mile in years. Every time I tried to run for even a few minutes, I had such bad pain in my shins that I would give up on running again. I felt like I had searched everything & everything online about how to heal shin splints… Shin splints are not fun and if you’re reading this article – I’m guessing you feel my pain.

It wasn’t just pain when I was running… It was terrible pain for days after my “run” (aka a 1 minute run with a lot of walking. It didn’t seem to get better no matter what I did. I would be in tears for days after because of how bad my shins hurt.

So, I haven’t been running regularly since early 2014. I ran track & cross country in high school and got even more into running long-distance in early college. It was my favorite sport/athletic endeavor I’ve ever competed in. These past 5-6 years, I’ve been missing it so much.

After taking years fully off from running (with times here and there where I would try again), I was determined to make it work this time. But I knew I had to do it right, or the pain would just keep coming back.

I’m not a doctor and the information in this article is just based on my personal experience. It should not be used in place of medical advice from a doctor or sports medicine specialist. If you’re dealing with shin pain or any other running injury, go see a medical professional.

Let’s get right into it with the 10 things I did to heal my shin splints.

How to Finally Heal Shin Splints (for good)

1. I wore compression sleeves every time I went on a walk/run/workout

Compression socks apply pressure to your lower legs, helping to increase blood flow and reduce swelling (1). I’ve been wearing compression sleeves every time I go on a run or work out at the gym.

For runners specifically, compression socks can help to reduce cramping, decrease lactic acid buildup, and enhance oxygen delivery. This helps to reduce soreness in the days following a run (2).

Since my shin splints would, in the past, be 10x worse on the days after a run; all of these benefits are incredibly helpful for me. I’ve felt noticeably less sore on post-run days when I wear my compression sleeves.

You can buy more expensive compression socks/sleeves, but the ones I have are inexpensive and from Amazon.

2. I started eating more calcium & magnesium in my diet (& supplementing)

Calcium & magnesium are both incredibly important for bone & muscle health. Especially for female athletes, who are more prone to the “female athlete triad” (decreased bone mineral density, low energy, and potential menstrual dysfunction) (3)… Making sure your bones and muscles are taken care of nutritionally is especially important.

Magnesium & calcium help to strengthen bones, ease muscle cramps & soreness, oxygenate your muscles, and improve exercise capacity (4). Magnesium has also been shown to help with sleep, which we all know is incredibly important in recovery.

A few great options for calcium-rich foods include:

• dairy (yogurt, milk, cheese) or fortified non-dairy alternatives (such as the almond milk in my daily iced latte recipe ;))
• seafood (salmon, shrimp, sardines)
• produce (collard greens, broccoli, kale, soybeans) (5)

Magnesium-rich food options:

• dark chocolate
• avocados
• nuts (almonds, cashews, Brazil nuts)
• legumes (6)

I’ve also been supplementing with these bone health vitamins from Amazon. I don’t necessarily think that you need to supplement if you’re getting enough of these nutrients in your diet. I’ve just run into so many problems with shin splints in the past that I figured it couldn’t hurt.

3. I took time off.

As I mentioned in the first few paragraphs, I haven’t run regularly since 2014. I’ve tried here & there these past 5+ years, but the pain would always be so bad that I couldn’t go on more than one run.

The time off from running taught me how much I truly loved the form of exercise, because I can’t seem to just give it up. It’s not just a physical thing for me. In fact, it’s much more of a mental benefit than physical.

Running is obviously great for your physical health.

But the thing I missed most was the “runner’s high” and the feeling of being less stressed and anxious in my day to day life.

Running is also not easy, so doing it on a regular basis increases your confidence in yourself, determination, and mental fortitude.

I missed the way I felt about myself back in my running days, especially how it felt easier to take life less seriously. Anytime I was upset/stressed about something, I could just go on a run and those feelings would seem to melt away.

I would suggest anyone who is dealing with a reoccurring running injury take some time off. It doesn’t have to be 5+ years like I did… But I guarantee when you’re able to get back into running – you will have so much more appreciation for it than before.

4. I invested in new shoes that actually fit my high arches

If you take anything from this article – this is probably the most important point. I don’t know why it took me so. dang. long. to go to a running store and get properly fitted shoes, but I put it off for years.

Throughout my track and cross country years, I bought shoes off the shelves, which were a total guess on if they would properly fit my feet or not. Then in early college and the rest of my recreational running career, I ordered running shoes online.

I had this weird faith in myself that I knew what I was doing and could just tell by looking at a pair of shoes if they would fit me or not. AKA I was super lazy and didn’t want to spend an hour at a running store. 😂

So this time (since I’m actually serious now and not overly [and incorrectly] confident in my shoe-buying abilities)… I went to a running store, had my gait analyzed, and was properly fitted.

The shoes I ended up buying are the Brooks Adrenaline GTS 20. They’re SO comfy, supportive, and perfect for my high arches. If you know you have a high arch and need a support shoe – I would highly recommend these.

I was also told to size up in running shoes because your feet swell when you run. I typically wear an 8 or 8.5, but I bought a 9 in these and they fit perfectly. They have a little extra room in the toes, but they feel great during a run.

If you haven’t been properly fitted for running shoes before, go to a dang running store before buying your next pair of shoes. Don’t be like me and put it off for years for absolutely no reason. It’s so worth it to get properly fitted.

5. I stretched & rolled out before & after every run/walk

Static stretching is not beneficial before a run or workout and can actually leave you more prone to injury. I did my static stretching routine post-run. I didn’t always stretch pre-run, but on days I did, I did dynamic stretches.

Before every run or workout of any sort, I did this 2-minute calf roll out video (Olympian Carrie Tollefson’s quick foam rolling sequence). You do it on both legs so it ends up being 4 minutes total.

It hurts like hell at first, but after about a week of doing this daily, I started to crave it! It also started to hurt less because my calves were getting less tight, so that was a plus.

I would try to roll out again after every run or workout. I also did this stretching routine after every run (and on off days). It’s a great 10-minute stretch for your calves, hips, IT band, and other commonly sore running muscles.

This step was incredibly important for healing my shin splints as well. I used to be terrible about stretching and would only do it every so often. I also almost never rolled out because 1. it hurt 2. I didn’t realize how much it helped sore muscles.

Foam rolling helps with circulation, recovery, and keeping your muscles loose (7). It’s not just great for your calves/shin splints either, you can use a foam roller on basically any sore spot on your body. I use one to roll out my hip flexors, quads, and hamstrings when they get tight as well.

The foam roller I use is this 24″ one from Amazon. I also use a smaller one (similar to this one) to get deep into my calves, after using the regular foam roller.

6. I finally went to see a sports medicine specialist

After years of having shin pain after going on a 1-minute run… I finally gave in and decided to see a doctor. Again, learn from me and don’t repeat my mistakes… If you’ve been having reoccurring shin splint pain (or any other running injury), go see a dang doctor.

I had x-rays done to make sure I didn’t have a stress fracture. The doctor got the x-ray results back quickly and let me know that I was in the clear on that front.

He prescribed me an inflammation-reducing topical gel and recommended that I go to physical therapy 3x/week. While that all sounded great to me at first, the prescription ended up being $3000 and physical therapy was going to be almost $250/week (both with insurance). Yay for the American healthcare system!

So since I’m not a millionaire and couldn’t afford to drop $4000/month on a prescription & PT… I decided to figure things out for myself.

The knowledge that my problem was, indeed, shin splints, and not something more serious, like a stress fracture, was enough peace of mind for me to take matters into my own hands. So I decided not to go to physical therapy or buy the overpriced prescription gel.

Even without PT & the prescription, I’ve been able to heal my shin splints naturally by utilizing the other 9 steps in this article. It definitely hasn’t been easy and I’ve been putting work into this every day. But it wasn’t worth not being able to run anymore (or a $4000/month medical bill) for me not to do this.

7. I shortened my strides (walking & running)

I’m not sure why it took me so long to realize this, but when I walk or run, I consistently over-stride. Overall, I’m a go-go-go person and hate wasting time. So I like to get from point A to point B as quickly as possible.

I’m also short (5’3), so I always had to walk faster to keep up with my long-legged friends & family.

Both of these factors led to over-striding in my walking and running cadence.

Over-striding is “where the foot comes into contact with the ground well ahead of the hips” (8). It’s associated with increased braking forces and higher impact. Both of these increase your proneness to injury (8).

To fix over-striding tendencies, you want to gradually increase your running cadence. You can read a step-by-step of how to do so in this article, which is much better explained than I could.

I didn’t actually track my running cadence, but that is one way to do it. I simply started being more cognitive of my steps when I was walking or running. When I went on a walk, I would focus on my steps and slow down when need be, to decrease my stride length.

As soon as I started doing this, I noticed an improvement in my shin splints within a few days.

8. I did ankle, hip, and calf strengthening & lots of stretching

When I visited a running store to have my gait analyzed and buy new running shoes, the girl working gave me some great tips on healing from shin splints. I knew that I needed some work on my calf and hip strength, but I hadn’t even thought about ankle strength.

She told me that one thing she learned when she went to PT for running was to strengthen her ankles. I was surprised, because I had honestly never thought about that before, but it makes complete sense. Your ankles are absorbing a ton of the impact when you’re running, so of course, they would need to be in tip-top condition.

On days I didn’t run, I started doing ankle, hip, and calf strength exercises.

Before I even thought about running again, I took a 2-week period to simply stretch and strengthen my hips, ankles, and calves. I would do the stretching I talked about above, every other day. Then on days I didn’t do the stretching routine, I did my strength training routine. Every day, I rolled out my calves.

These are the exercises I did on strength training days:

1. ankles
2. hips & calves

There are plenty of other options out there for strength training. These are just what worked for me!

9. I cut back on icing (but still do it occasionally)

There’s conflicting evidence on if icing injuries is actually helpful for healing. Honestly, I’m not sure what to believe. We’ve been told all our lives to use the RICE method (rest, ice, compression, elevation) – but is it really helpful in healing our injuries?

I’m not going to go into this theory much because I’m not an expert. But if you want to read more about it, here’s the article that I read recently.

I personally don’t think you should completely quit icing because of reading one article. I just think it’s good to be informed and see the research/theories that are out there.

Recently, I’ve cut back on icing my shins & calves. This wasn’t just due to reading the article. It was because I was starting to feel like my pain would get WORSE the day after I iced.

But I will still ice occasionally. If I go on a run and my calves/ankle-region are hurting and a little swollen, I’ll ice for a good 10-15 minutes. But that’s it.

The best ice packs I’ve found for shin splints are these ones from Amazon. I used to use regular ice packs and just not move an inch the entire time I was icing. 😂 But I’m happy to say those days are long gone now. These ice packs wrap around your calves, so they stay in place even if you’re moving around.

Like I said, I don’t ice very much (besides when I’m seeing visible swelling in my calves after I workout). And I only ice my lower, inner calf muscles (down by my ankles). I felt like it was too painful for me, personally, to ice the front of my shin bones and seemed to do more harm than good.

10. I started getting back into running incredibly slowly

You know how it seems like every time you read an article on shin splints, it goes something like this… “Take it slow when getting back into running. Don’t go crazy and immediately run 6 miles after taking time off. Just take it a mile at a time!”

Yeah, that didn’t work for me.

This might be great advice for someone who only gets shin splints occasionally or is naturally a better runner than me… But for me, trying to run even a quarter-mile to start out was a big, fat no.

This may have worked for me earlier in my running career (before I ran miles upon miles on my shin splints). But after torturing my shins and running through the pain for years, I had done too much damage to jump right back into running even a mile at a time, at first.

So here’s the routine I followed, which worked incredibly well for me.

My Running Plan (to prevent shin splints):

• Week 1: Every other day, do ankle, calf, and hip strengthening exercises. On days off from strength training, do this stretching routine. Roll out your calves at least once a day (especially to warm up for strength training). Don’t even worry about running yet.
• Week 2: Repeat week 1. We are trying to get those supporting muscles strengthened & flexibility on point before running!
• Week 3: Go on a 1-2 minute run, 2-3x/week. Walk 5 minutes before each run and finish up with a 15-20 minute walk. Do not run on consecutive days. Roll out before & after every run and do the stretching routine post-run. Continue the strengthening exercises twice a week on non-running days. Aim to roll out & stretch every day.
• Week 4: Repeat week 3, but with a 3-4 minute run.
• Week 5: Repeat week 4, but with a 5-6 minute run.
• Week 6: Repeat week 5, but with a 7-8 minute run.
• Week 7: You should be up to running about a mile at a time now. If this feels good, gradually continue to increase from there. Do what feels best for you at this point, but a good rule of thumb is to increase your distance by 10-15% per week (9).

If this seems like an incredibly slow & tedious way to get back into running – it is. If your body is able to handle starting out faster or going on more frequent runs – then, by all means, go for it! I would love to have hopped right back into running multiple miles at a time, but my shins had other ideas.

I promise that slow & steady wins the race when it comes to recovering from running injuries. So if you’ve dealt with reoccurring shin splints for years like me – try out this plan & see if it works for you!

If you take anything away from this article…

If you’re suffering from shin splints, I strongly recommend that you try out all 10 of these steps. This is the first comprehensive plan that’s worked for me after 5+ years of trying “everything”. But if you just want to try out a few things, these are the steps that I feel made the biggest impact:

1. Stretch & roll out EVERY DAY. Any time your shins/calves feel tight, roll out. Roll out your calves before/after every run. If you start to feel tightness in your hips/IT band, roll them out as well. It’s all connected so if you have super tight hips, you’ll start to feel more impact in your shins/calves.
2. Get back into running incredibly slowly. Even if you don’t use my exact plan above, take your dang time. I promise it will be worth it when you’re eventually able to run miles pain-free.
3. Shorten your strides & increase your running cadence (especially if it’s under 160). You can read more about this here, but I didn’t feel like I could truly run pain-free until I increased my cadence to over 160. I had been running at <160 for years and had always dealt with shin splints. I never worried about my stride length or cadence until now and I can tell it’s made a huge positive impact.

Things to Keep in Mind When Recovering from Shin Splints

If you were planning on running one day, but feel shin pain (or are just too sore) – take the day off. It’s more important to heal your shin splints than to fit in one more run that week.

I can’t stress the above point enough. Anyone who’s had reoccurring shin splints knows that sucking it up and running through the pain never works. You may feel okay during the run, but you’ll be feeling the pain for days afterward.

The slower you go with shin splint recovery, the more likely it is to last. There’s no quick fix for shin splints and if there was, I would’ve done it a long time ago. It’s a combination of rest, recovery, strengthening your weaker supporting muscles, and lots of stretching.

Be patient with the process. Trust that if I can heal my shin splints (after 5+ years of dealing with them and taking extended time off) – you most definitely can too.

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Comment below with:

1. How long have you been running for?
2. Have you been dealing with shin splints for a long time or has it started more recently?
3. If you are new to running or have been at it for years – what got you into it?