If you have ever dealt with shin splints, you know how frustrating they can be.
You might feel fine walking around during the day, start your run, and then that familiar pain along your shin slowly starts coming back. Or you may reach the point where your shins are sore even after the workout is over.
I have dealt with shin splints multiple times throughout my running career, especially during track season, so I have tried plenty of different ways to make them more manageable.
Some methods helped with pain and soreness.
Others helped my legs feel less tight.
But one of the biggest things I have learned is that feeling better and actually allowing an injury to heal are not always the same thing.
This article covers the methods I have personally used for shin splints, what current recommendations say about treating them, and when shin pain may be something that should be evaluated by a medical professional.
If you are not sure why shin splints happen in the first place, start with Why Do Runners Get Shin Splints?
Disclaimer: I am not a medical professional. This article is for educational purposes and includes my personal experience as a runner. It should not replace medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment from a qualified healthcare professional.
What Are Shin Splints?
Shin splints are more formally known as medial tibial stress syndrome (MTSS).
They generally cause pain and tenderness along the tibia, or shinbone, and are commonly associated with repetitive stress from activities such as running.
Shin splints often develop after someone increases how much, how often, or how intensely they are training.[1]
MTSS is best thought of as a load-related injury involving repetitive stress on the tibia and the tissues surrounding it.[1]
Because of that, treatment is not just about finding something that temporarily reduces soreness. An important part of recovery is reducing or modifying the activity that is repeatedly stressing the area and giving your lower legs time to recover.
The Most Important Treatment: Reduce the Stress
If your shin splints developed because your legs were being overloaded, continuing to overload them usually is not going to solve the problem.
Mayo Clinic recommends avoiding activities that cause pain, swelling, or discomfort while the injury heals.[2]
That does not necessarily mean you have to sit on the couch and do absolutely nothing.
You may be able to temporarily replace running with lower-impact activities such as:
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Swimming
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Cycling
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Pool running
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Elliptical training
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Walking, if walking does not cause pain
The goal is to allow the irritated area to recover without completely abandoning your fitness.
How much running you need to reduce will depend on how severe your symptoms are.
For someone with very mild discomfort, adjusting mileage or removing harder workouts may be enough.
For someone whose shins hurt significantly while running, walking, or during normal daily activities, continuing to run through it is much harder to justify.
This is one area where I think runners sometimes make things worse.
It is tempting to find something that makes the pain disappear temporarily and assume you are ready to train again.
But less pain does not always mean the tissue has recovered.
1. Icing Your Shins
Icing is probably the treatment I have used most often when dealing with shin splints.
The main reason I use ice is simple:
It helps with pain.
Cold can temporarily numb the area and make an irritated shin feel significantly better.
Mayo Clinic recommends applying an ice pack for about 15 to 20 minutes at a time, three to four times per day for several days.[2]
Always place a thin towel or other barrier between a traditional ice pack and your skin rather than leaving extremely cold ice directly against the skin for an extended period.
I would not think of icing as something that magically heals shin splints.
Instead, think of it as a symptom-management tool while your body recovers.
The Simple Ice-Bag Method
This is probably the easiest option.
Put ice in a bag or use a reusable ice pack.
Wrap it in a thin towel and place it over the painful area for approximately 15 to 20 minutes.
That is it.
You do not need an elaborate recovery setup for icing to be useful.
For an athlete trying to balance school, work, practice, and everything else going on during the day, simple is often better.
2. The Frozen Paper Cup Method
Another method I have used is an ice massage with a frozen paper cup.
Fill a small paper cup with water and place it in the freezer.
Once it is completely frozen, tear away a small portion of the paper around the top so some of the ice is exposed.
Hold the remaining paper portion like a handle and gently move the exposed ice over the sore area.
As the ice melts, you can gradually peel away more of the cup.
This lets you combine cold with a gentle massage.
Mayo Clinic also describes frozen paper-cup ice massage as one method of applying cold for musculoskeletal injuries.[3]
I would keep the pressure comfortable.
You are trying to reduce discomfort, not aggressively grind ice into an already painful shin.
If the skin becomes excessively numb, painful, discolored, or irritated, stop.
3. What About Ice Baths?
During track, I also used ice baths.
I would fill a bathtub with cold water, add ice, and sit in it for several minutes.
I will be the first to admit that ice baths are not particularly enjoyable.
The first few times I tried them, the hardest part was not even my legs—it was my feet. Your feet can get painfully cold very quickly, especially if you are not used to ice baths.
One simple trick that helped me was keeping my socks on.
It sounds minor, but having that extra layer between my feet and the cold water made ice baths much more tolerable. It did not make the water feel warm, but it took some of the edge off the intense cold in my feet.
If you choose to use cold-water immersion, there is no reason to treat it like a toughness competition.
You do not need to make the water dangerously cold or force yourself to stay in until you cannot feel your legs.
For shin splints specifically, I also would not consider a full ice bath necessary.
A regular ice pack or localized ice massage is much easier and allows you to target the area that actually hurts.
Ice baths were simply something I personally used during periods of intense training.
They may make the legs feel better after hard workouts, but they should not be viewed as a substitute for reducing the training load that caused the injury.
4. Muscle Rubs for Temporary Pain Relief
Another thing I have used is a cooling muscle rub.
Products containing ingredients such as menthol create a cooling sensation that can temporarily distract from soreness and make the area feel more comfortable.
Mayo Clinic notes that topical products containing ingredients such as menthol or lidocaine may help ease minor leg pain.[4]
For me, that cooling sensation sometimes made my shins significantly less noticeable.
Again, though, there is an important difference between pain relief and healing.
A muscle rub might make your shin feel better.
That does not mean it suddenly became a good idea to go run a hard interval workout.
Follow the instructions on whichever product you are using and avoid applying it to damaged or irritated skin.
5. Stretch Your Calves to Manage Tightness
Stretching has always been part of how I manage shin splints.
Running—especially harder running—can leave my calves feeling extremely tight.
When I already have shin discomfort, letting my calves become increasingly stiff makes my entire lower leg feel worse.
Stretching can help maintain flexibility and reduce the feeling of tightness, even though stretching by itself has not been proven to cure medial tibial stress syndrome.[5]
I use stretching as a comfort and mobility tool, not as the actual treatment for the underlying injury.
Downward Dog Calf Stretch
One of my favorite stretches starts in a Downward Dog position.
Place your hands and feet on the floor and raise your hips into the air so your body forms an upside-down “V.”
Keep your legs relatively straight and gently press your heels toward the floor.
You should feel the stretch through your calves and potentially the backs of your legs.
Do not force it.
Single-Side Downward Dog Stretch
From the same position, you can place one foot over the opposite ankle or simply alternate which heel you press toward the floor.
That allows you to focus the stretch more on one calf at a time.
Hold the stretch for a comfortable period rather than worrying about hitting an exact number of seconds.
The goal is to loosen the muscle—not to force your ankle into the maximum possible range of motion.
6. Foam Rolling Your Calves
Rolling is another technique I use when my calves start feeling tight or sore.
You can use:
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A foam roller
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A handheld massage roller
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A massage gun
My reason for rolling is similar to my reason for stretching.
It can make the muscles feel looser and reduce the feeling of soreness.
That can make recovery more comfortable.
However, research has not established foam rolling as a treatment that heals medial tibial stress syndrome itself.
Think of it as a muscle-recovery tool rather than something that repairs the shinbone.
How I Foam Roll My Calves
Sit on the floor and place one calf on top of the foam roller.
Use your hands to lift some of your body weight and slowly move your calf back and forth across the roller.
If you want more pressure, you can cross your opposite leg over the leg being rolled.
Spend some time on areas that feel tight, but do not assume more pain means more effectiveness.
The goal is not to make the rolling session hurt as much as possible.
Hand Roller
A handheld roller is even simpler.
Think of it almost like rolling out dough.
Move the roller gradually up and down the calf while applying comfortable pressure.
Massage Gun
A massage gun can also be used on the calf muscle.
Use a comfortable setting and focus on the muscle rather than repeatedly hammering directly over the tibia.
That distinction is especially important when you already have shin pain.
7. Do Not Aggressively Massage the Shinbone
This deserves its own section because it is easy to assume that if something hurts, you should massage directly over it.
I would not aggressively foam roll, massage, or use a massage gun directly over a painful tibia.
Remember that shin splints involve stress to the tibia and the tissues surrounding it.
If the bone is already painful, repeatedly smashing a roller or massage gun against it is unlikely to be helpful.
Focus your massage and rolling primarily on the surrounding muscles.
8. Pain Medication
Over-the-counter pain relievers can also reduce discomfort.
Mayo Clinic lists medications such as acetaminophen, ibuprofen, and naproxen as options that may help with shin-splint pain.[2]
That does not mean everyone should automatically take them.
Medication can have side effects and may not be appropriate depending on your health, other medications, or medical history.
Follow the product directions and talk with a medical professional or pharmacist if you are unsure whether a medication is appropriate for you.
I would also avoid thinking of pain medication as permission to train through an injury.
Masking the pain does not remove the repetitive stress that caused it.
9. Return to Running Gradually
This may be just as important as the initial rest.
When your shin starts feeling better, the temptation is to immediately return to your normal mileage.
I understand that feeling.
You have already missed training and want to make up for lost time.
But immediately returning to the same workload that contributed to the problem can put you right back where you started.
Mayo Clinic recommends gradually returning to your normal activities after the pain is gone.[2]
Your first few runs back should not be your hardest workouts of the season.
Give your legs a chance to readapt.
That may mean beginning with:
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Shorter runs
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Easy running
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Fewer running days
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More recovery between sessions
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Less speed work
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Continued cross-training
Then gradually rebuild from there.
How Long Do Shin Splints Take to Heal?
There is not one universal timeline.
How quickly you recover depends on things such as:
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How severe the injury is
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How long you continued running on it
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Your training volume
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Whether you reduce the activity causing the pain
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Your injury history
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Your individual recovery
The important thing is not to choose an arbitrary date and decide you must be healed by then.
Pay attention to your symptoms.
If you keep returning to running and the pain immediately comes back, your legs are probably telling you something.
When Shin Pain Might Be More Than Shin Splints
Not all shin pain is medial tibial stress syndrome.
A tibial stress fracture can produce similar symptoms and is something runners should take seriously.
Shin splints tend to cause pain and tenderness over a broader area.
Pain from a stress fracture may be much more concentrated in one specific spot.
You should consider getting evaluated by a healthcare professional if:
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The pain becomes severe
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The pain is extremely localized
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Walking hurts
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You have pain while resting
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The pain continues to worsen
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You notice significant swelling
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Rest and basic self-care are not improving the symptoms
Mayo Clinic recommends contacting a healthcare professional when shin pain does not improve with rest, ice, and over-the-counter pain relief.[1]
Sometimes imaging such as an X-ray or other testing may be used to rule out another cause, including a stress fracture.[2]
Can You Keep Running With Shin Splints?
This is probably the question runners actually want answered.
The answer depends on how significant the symptoms are.
You do not necessarily need to stop every form of exercise.
But if running is causing pain, continuing to repeatedly perform the activity that is aggravating the injury makes recovery much more difficult.
Instead, temporarily reduce or replace the painful activity.
Swimming, cycling, and pool running are great examples because they can allow you to maintain cardiovascular fitness without the same repetitive impact.
One of the biggest mistakes I made earlier in my running career was focusing too much on finding ways to make the pain tolerable enough to continue training.
Now I look at it differently.
The goal should not be:
“How can I make this hurt less so I can finish today’s workout?”
The better question is:
“What do I need to change so this actually gets better?”
My Experience Treating Shin Splints
When I developed shin splints during track, I used a combination of methods.
I iced my shins.
I stretched.
I rolled my calves.
I occasionally used muscle rub.
I used ice baths during some training periods.
All of those things could make my legs feel better.
But none of them replaced the need to address the stress being placed on my legs.
That is probably the biggest difference between how I think about shin splints now and how I thought about them earlier in my running career.
Recovery techniques can make the injury more comfortable.
But if you continue doing the exact same amount of training that irritated your shins in the first place, you are not addressing the biggest part of the problem.
The Bottom Line
When treating shin splints, focus first on giving your lower legs an opportunity to recover.
That usually means reducing or temporarily stopping painful running and replacing it with lower-impact exercise when appropriate.
From there, methods such as:
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Icing
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Ice massage
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Stretching
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Foam rolling
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Massage
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Muscle rub
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Appropriate pain relief
can help manage soreness, tightness, and discomfort.
But none of these should be used simply to cover up worsening pain so you can continue training at the same intensity.
Once your symptoms improve, return to running gradually.
And if your shin pain is severe, very localized, happens while walking or resting, or refuses to improve, get it evaluated instead of assuming it is just another case of shin splints.
If you want to understand what caused your shin splints, read Why Do Runners Get Shin Splints?
And once you are healthy again, check out How to Prevent Shin Splints for ways to reduce your chances of dealing with the same problem again.
The ultimate goal is not simply to make shin splints hurt less.
It is to recover properly so you can get back to training without immediately ending up in the same situation.
Sources
[1] Mayo Clinic. Shin Splints — Symptoms and Causes. Updated April 30, 2025. Mayo Clinic.
[2] Mayo Clinic. Shin Splints — Diagnosis and Treatment. Updated April 30, 2025. Mayo Clinic.
[3] Mayo Clinic. Tendinitis — Diagnosis and Treatment. Mayo Clinic. Includes guidance on ice massage and frozen paper-cup application.
[4] Mayo Clinic. Leg Pain — Causes and Self-Care. Mayo Clinic.
[5] Winters M, Eskes M, Weir A, Moen MH, Backx FJG, Bakker EWP. Treatment of Medial Tibial Stress Syndrome: A Systematic Review. Sports Medicine. 2013;43(12):1315–1333.