How To Foam Roll Out Your Shin Splints

As the weather improves and more and more people are heading outside to run, shin pain or splints ^[1] can be quite common. One exercise that you can try is foam rolling out your shins.

Shin splints are not a specific injury but a general type of pain. Your shins may feel like they are throbbing after a run or even after short bursts of movement. Shin splints are also called medial tibial stress syndrome ^[2]. It arises from stress on your shinbone and inflammation in the tendons that connect your muscles to your bones.

Shin splints can occur for various reasons, including flat feet (when the arch of your foot collapses on impact), shoes with poor support or that don’t fit well, not warming up and cooling down, and weakness in the ankles, hips, and core. If you suddenly increase the intensity and frequency of your workout, you may also experience shin splints.

Shin splints can range from discomfort to sharp and throbbing pain. If you are experiencing shin splints, try this rolling foam exercise to decrease pain.

YouTube to watch the YouTube video.

Foam Rolling Shin Splits

You’ll need a foam roller minimum of 1 foot in length. Move into a three-point position, with your hands out front, one knee behind, and most of your weight on your hands. Prop yourself with the foam roller below your knee joint above the meaty part of that shin. Adjust your hands so that you can move the foam roller further down. Roll from that meaty part down to just above the ankle. Roll over that meaty part and return.

Foam Rolling Shin Splits

Decrease the Stiffness and Tightness

You are foam rolling the tibialis anterior, self-massaging it to help the metabolites move out of that muscle. The amount of weight you put into the foam roller depends on you. You should feel a deep massage, but you shouldn’t be in pain. I recommend you do 5 to 10 repetitions on each side. This will decrease the stiffness and tightness in your shins.

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Take care!

Rick Kaselj, MS

If you suffer from shin pain and are looking for a solution to help you overcome shin splint, click here to check out Shin Splints Solved. I put this program together to help runners and others with shin pain overcome shin splints and get back to a pain-free life.