Physical Therapy for Shin Splints

Seriously consider acupuncture. I was a cross country runner all through high school and after I graduated I joined the military which required more running. I had chronic shin splints the entire time. I changed shoes, had my gait analyzed, had physical therapy, even had custom orthodic inserts made and nothing worked. Researched acupuncture and was skeptical, but to my complete surprise they were gone after two treatments. Don't know how or why but that was 3 years ago and haven't had them since.

I used to be a professional dance instructor/performer and started running. The combination of the two gave me massive shin splints for months... which turned into a year (even had trouble walking). I went to a podiatrist and she sent me to a physical therapist.

Here is what they had me to do help them (and by the way, after about 2 months they were completely gone).

1) Get real running shoes- fitted at a real running shoe store.
2) Get orthopedics, if you can afford them.
3) Stretch the muscles in the front and back of that part of your leg daily.
4) Ice your shins any time you work them out (like after a run)
5) Work out the muscles around your shins. She had me doing squats, lunges, monster walks, and like 10 other exercises! The point of this was, she said, if the muscles around your shin are stronger, they won't pull as much and therefore allow your shin to heal
6) Rest!!! In the end, she said the best way to make them go away is to stop and let them fully heal-but that could take a few months. If you don't want to wait, really just try the things above.
7) Lastly-my advice-if you can, go see a physical therapist about it. They can give you proper exercises to help and stretches. But also--my physical therapist had a machine (kinda like an ultrasound), that omits heat and they rub it against your shin for about 15 minutes. It loosens the muscles, and somewhat heals the shin. Just make sure you stretch them afterwords. This method--I could really feel a difference afterword. Of course, I was in a rare situation where shin splints were affecting my career-so I couldn't just rest and this method really helped.

I had shinsplints for years playing rugby and went to too many physio sessions to fix it but nothing helped. One day my brother pipes up and says "inner soles bro, inner soles"
Layered them up in my boots and the splints went away!

Okay so i've had shin splints continuously for a year now. I've tried physio and rest but no matter what i do they always come back. however they hurt even if i dont run for a while so im thinking maybe its to do with my walking stride/shoes. Any orthotics advice or and other advice on how to potentially beat shin splints is welcome. If it helps i had x-rays on my shins and there's apparently nothing wrong with the bone so its probably a muscular problem.

I am a runner who used to run with a forefoot landing, but after about 15 years of intermittent shinsplints a physical therapist said I should heel-strike, as the instability of my forefoot strike was twisting my legs. I don't think I've had shinsplints since (about 8 years). But I have suffered from achilles tendonitis, and I can't run as fast as I used to. Oh well.

Stretches and strengthening exercises DO work for shin splints. Look them up online, there are dozens, and a lot of them can be done while you sit at your desk or wait at the bus stop. Do them a lot and do them every day. Making changes in my running form has also helped me eliminate shin splints, so if you have an opportunity to find a good physical therapist or running coach, do so.

my daughter has been plagued with these symptoms and is only 18. Many visits to a podiatrist, a complete course of physical therapy with a capable sports physical therapist, and new orthotics, all of no real help. she is still very symptomatic. we have spent a lot of money to investigate and solve this, thousands, without success.