Shin splints can turn every run into a countdown and every box jump into a question. Maybe you have been cutting sessions short, swapping runs for the bike, skipping anything that involves impact. It is one of the most common lower leg injuries we see at ActiveX Physio in Singapore, in runners, CrossFitters, and anyone whose training keeps hitting the ground.
Why do shin splints keep coming back?
You have probably tried resting and icing, and backing your mileage right off. If that worked, you would not be reading this. Rest settles the pain and changes nothing about why the shin got overloaded, which is why the ache tends to come back a few weeks into your next training block. So we look past the shin at what is loading it: how your calves absorb impact, how your hips control each landing, what your cadence or jumping mechanics look like, and how fast your training volume climbed. It is rarely just the shin.
How are shin splints treated?
Most of the rehab is strength work. Progressive calf and tibialis posterior loading takes the repetitive stress off the bone, and hip and glute control quiets what comes down through the shin with every stride. If overstriding shows up in your gait, we adjust cadence. And if the condition has run past six weeks without responding to loading alone, shockwave therapy is an option we add to speed up tissue recovery.
Who can help
Any of our physiotherapists can assess and treat shin splints. If you are a distance runner, Nicholas Ho works with endurance athletes and can pick apart your cadence, your loading pattern, and what is driving the pain. If your running sits alongside Hyrox or functional fitness training, Isabelle Chow sees this combination regularly. If foot and ankle mechanics are part of the picture, Ivan Tam looks at how your lower limb absorbs impact from the ground up.
Go deeper
Want the full picture? Our guide on shin splints covers the biomechanics and risk factors, and how to tell if things are heading toward a stress fracture. Read the full guide on shin splints →