You start running again after a break, and within a few weeks, the same pain shows up on the front of your shin. That's not bad luck. It's almost always the same mechanism repeating itself.

Shin splints happen when the tissue covering the shin bone gets irritated, usually from repeated overload. Your body takes on more than it can absorb at the time, and the pain gradually sets in along the bone.

Why it always comes back at the same point

The classic pattern: several weeks without running, then too fast a return, with a volume or intensity that doesn't give your tissue time to adapt.

Other factors play a role too:

→ Worn out shoes or ones that don't match your stride
→ Increasing your running volume too quickly
→ Limited mobility in the ankle or foot
→ A running surface that changes suddenly

We start by figuring out what's really causing the overload. Physiotherapy, kinesiology, or sport therapy can help depending on the cause. The goal isn't just to calm the pain, it's to understand why it keeps coming back and correct it at the source.

Book an appointment with Vincent Rizzolo (kinesiologist) or François St-Amour (sport therapist) at Clinique RESET.