Shin Splints: The Injury That Should Never Happen

Course overview

This 1-hour live webinar designed for Physical Therapists, Athletic Trainers, and Chiropractors focuses on the evaluation and management of medial tibial stress syndrome and other common causes of shin pain in active and athletic populations. The webinar reviews the clinical presentation of shin pain in runners, with emphasis on differentiating medial tibial stress syndrome from tibial stress fracture and other potential sources of lower leg symptoms. Participants will learn a systematic, evidence-informed clinical approach to identifying the underlying contributors to shin pain, including training-load errors, running mechanics, footwear considerations, strength deficits, and missed regional impairments that may contribute to recurring symptoms. The webinar integrates practical assessment strategies, clinical reasoning, soreness rules, load-monitoring principles, and treatment decision-making to help clinicians determine when a runner should continue, modify, or temporarily stop running. Management strategies will include strength interventions, gait-retraining techniques, and evidence-informed considerations for footwear, orthotics, and adjunctive modalities. Treatment decision-making is organized to help clinicians reduce tibial stress, address the root causes of symptoms, and guide runners toward a confident return to pain-free running and higher-level performance.