causes of pain in the shins
It is not specifically a diagnosis in itself but is well known among athletes to describe shin pain. One of the most common causes is medial tibial periostitis which we have described on our shin splints page and is an inflammation of the sheath surrounding the bone on the inside of the lower leg. Most causes of shin pain in athletes will be related to one or more of the following issues: Bone stress which can range from a mild bone strain to a full stress fracture.
Shin splint pain is described as a recurring dull ache along the inner part of the lower two-thirds of the tibia. In contrast, stress fracture pain is localized to the fracture site. Biomechanically, over-pronation is the common cause for shin splints and action should be taken to offset the biomechanical irregularity.