Rehabilitation: Shin Splints and Knee Injuries

Medically reviewed by Dr Bryan Wang ✅

Shin splints are one of the more common and persistent forms of injuries a runner or athletes in sports focused on lower extremities can experience. 

Often beginning as a niggle, shin splints can worsen with time and become a nagging injury when full blown. It requires adequate rest which – understandably for those who love to keep active – can sometimes be tough. Various forms of physical therapy and alternative activities are often prescribed and recommended for those nursing shin splints. 

Dr Bryan Wang, an orthopaedic surgeon at Beacon Orthopaedics, will dissect the correlation between knee injuries and shin splints, and how to ensure one gets back to full fitness in good time.

Do calf sleeves work for shin splints during rehab?

While calf sleeves can sometimes reduce the pain that comes with shin splints, it does not effectively treat the injury, with the main underlying cause of shin splints being inadequate rest.

Dr Bryan often recommends taking it easy and abstaining from sports that focus on the lower extremities as a better option to calf sleeves.  

“I don't think calf sleeves really help as I think the main underlying cause of shin splints is that the bone doesn't really have a chance to recover,” shared Dr Bryan.

“Something we encourage is to slowly resume running after two weeks of complete rest. This will assess if you’re ready to go back to your usual training as one should be pain free for two weeks before returning to the program.”

As a runner and swimming enthusiast himself, Dr Bryan is able to understand the difficulties of adhering to the downtime needed during recovery periods, especially for anyone who views an active lifestyle as a gateway to a healthy mind.

“During this period of downtime, anyone can still do some activities to maintain your cardiovascular fitness. However, you will really want to reduce loading on the lower limb,” advised Dr Bryan.

Some good activities to consider are aqua therapy, cross-training exercises, swimming and cycling. There are even several options when it comes to getting on the bike such as road cycling, stationary bikes and even spin cycling. 

So fret not as there are many productive ways of spending your recovery time. As long as you focus on your upper body and allow your lower limbs to rest, you will be back to running in no time!

If I don’t rest, can I aggravate my shin splints?

“Shin splints and knee pain can occur in isolation from one another. Medically, shin splints are what we would call a medial tibial stress injury. They occur when there is repetitive microtrauma to the shin bone or the tibia and it doesn't really have a chance to recover,” shared Dr Bryan.

“However, if you partake in excessive training or an increased load on the legs, it can also result in the same issues of knee pain that can occur due to overtraining.”

The shin splints, which is an inflammation of the outer lining of lower leg bone, will hurt for at least three to seven days due to the inflammatory process. After which, it will take around three to four weeks for the tissue to heal.

“The early stage of shin splints can occur when you might first notice a little bit of pain over the middle part of the shin bone,” explained Dr Wang.

“As the pain gets more persistent and the shin splints become more severe, some patients may even complain of pain very early into the physical activity. Without intervention, pain can even occur even at rest, which is usually an indication that the shin splint is progressing in terms of severity.”

How do I make sure it does not affect my knees?

“In patients with aggravated shin splints, they can experience some tenderness over the middle part of the tibia. Sometimes, they will feel some localized pain over the patella tendon,” observed Dr Wang.

It is often recommended by Dr Wang for those suffering from shin splints to either cease physical activities completely or bring intensity levels down for a week. Should the pain still persist, extending this by another week is the best course of action before attempting to resume your training programme.

“There are several factors that can help you decide whether or not it's necessary to see a doctor or specialist. Firstly, if the pain persists despite a prolonged period of rest. Secondly, if the pain returns each time you return to training and lastly, if there is pain even at rest. These are signs that could signal something more serious,” advised Dr Wang.

This article is written in collaboration with SportPlus Media.