Shin Splints: a Running PT’s First Injury
Let’s kick off this series on running injuries with the first running injury I ever experienced, as a high school runner at (then) Washington-Lee High School: shin splints, or “Medial Tibial Stress Syndrome.” If you’ve had them, you know how brutal they can be - and how persistent.
In this post, I’m not going to break down the exact biomechanics related to shin splints or prescribe specific exercises. Instead, I want to share what it felt like to go through this injury for me.
The classic presentation!
Why did I get Shin Splints?
Looking back, there were a lot of reasons I ended up injured- but none of them were unique. Shin splints are one of the most common injuries among new and younger runners (source).
In my case, it came down to:
Rapid mileage increase
Lack of lower leg strength/endurance
A training background in swimming, where impact isn’t a factor
I jumped into running exuberantly- as a kid who’d never had an injury before, I thought that if some running was good, then more running was better. Like a lot of young athletes, I found out the hard way that wasn’t true.
The Emotional Side of Injury
Dealing with shin splints was humbling. I had never had a persistent injury before. I was used to being able to run or swim as far and as fast as I wanted, whenever I wanted.
When pain suddenly stopped me from running, it shook my confidence. I loved racing, and a lot of my self-worth at that age came from how fast I could run. I remember standing on the sidelines at meets, watching my friends race while .
Injury made me feel isolated, like something was wrong with me. Now I know that was probably just a spotlight effect - studies show that the majority of high school runners deal with injury (source). Back then, though, I felt very alone.
The injury returned, as they so often do
After a round of physical therapy, some active rest, and a swim season, my shins recover. When I started ramping up mileage again, however, the pain came back. This time, though, I had a better support system: supportive coaching and a more gradual volume increase allowed me to make it through the season and run well.
But something had still changed since dealing with the injury. Doubt had started to creep in, and in the absence of explanations I sometimes questioned whether I was “built” for running. It would take years, and a lot of experience, to shake that feeling.
What I Learned (and What I’d Tell Young Runners Today)
Two big takeaways stuck with me from this experience:
I’m not invincible
Injury is as much emotional as it is physical
That second point especially shapes how I practice today. Injury doesn’t just hurt your body - it can shake your identity, your confidence, your joy. For younger athletes, that kind of emotional hit can leave long-lasting scars if it isn’t addressed.
Where PTs Come In
Too often, rehab focuses only on the physical. But we now know that beliefs and attitudes around injury play a huge role in recovery (source). I believe being heard and understood is just as important as dry needling or targeted strengthening.
That’s where we come in as physical therapists. We’re not just here to treat pain - we’re here to reframe it, and guide you on a journey of acceptance and commitment to self-management.
The best PT is about partnership
