Will shin splints go away if I keep running?

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Whether you are an avid runner or a professional athlete, you can agree when I say shin splints are the worst. Will shin splints go away if I keep running? That’s a common question among most athletes. The answer is No. while you still can, it’s not advisable.

Why avoid running with shin splints

The runners who attempt to run are at risk of prolonging the injury since they deny the injured tissue time to heal. By so doing, the injury may develop from a simple shin splint to a serious tibia stress fracture.

If you must continue running, you should wrap the leg with tape or a bandage from above the ankle to the knee. However, running with shin splints is bad since the exercise will only boost pain and damage to the affected part. You need to either stop running or decrease the running or training intensity.

What happens if you develop shin splints?

The shin bone proceeds from a normal load to an overload and is later very overloaded. Eventually, if one keeps on running, it progresses to fracture. When the shin bone is overloaded, you feel more pain on the bones since the outer side develops small fracture lines. Once the bone is overloaded beyond its tolerance, fractures occur.

What about the symptoms?

Some swelling on the lower leg
Tenderness and pain along the tibia
If it progresses, you may notice lumps or bumps along with the bones
If it’s more severe, you may notice red patches on your skin around the skin area you experience the pains.

At first, once you stop running, the pain may go away, but the pain becomes constant in serious cases. With that in mind, you should have a doctor check your conditions since most conditions may have similar symptoms.

Causes of shin splints

Running on hilly areas
An increase in training or running intensity or running longer distances
Increasing training days
Engaging in exercises that include frequent starts and halts like basketball or dancing

You can suffer shin splints if?

Train on harder surfaces
Your feet are flat or rigid foot arches
Fail to wear proper running shoes

How to treat shin splints

Provided you give your body enough rest, the damaged tissue will gradually heal.

Put ice on the shin to reduce the swelling and the pain. Continue icing the leg for three days or until the pain goes away.

Make good use of insoles on your shoes.

If need be, you can take some painkillers to ease the pain.

Tips to help you keep running pain-free

Treatment- as soon as you notice the pain, take rest for like 20 minutes and wait until the pain goes away.
Alternative exercise- You can keep active, but with low-impact forms of exercise as you give the shins time to heal.
Once the pain goes away, getting back to running goes back to running but with the right intensity to remain pain-free. Start running but with manageable exercises.
Recognize shin splints symptoms early- take note of the pains to rest and go back only when the pain subsides.

Shin splints are painful, but you can still go back to what you love the soonest with the right management. All the best as you run injury-free!

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