Firstly, what are shin splints? Shin splints refers to pain along the medial border of the tibia or the inner border of the shin bone. It is common amongst sports that involve running or jumping. Why do people get shin splints? It is due to an overloading of the lower leg due to biomechanical irregularities. It can be due to over-pronation (over-rolling of the foot when it hits the ground), poor or unsupportive footwear, running on unsupportive surfaces (such as beach running), poor running style (such as position of heel strike or too long of a stride length), over-training or running too far too quickly, too much hill work and/or weakness around the hip/pelvis. The physios job is to analyse all of these things in combination to correct the problem long term – it may be a combination of all of these things that causes the dysfunction. It is very important to have the hip/pelvic stability assessed as this is commonly missed and one of the biggest causes of shin splints. If you have any questions regarding this matter give us a call or come in to get an assessment done.