Medial tibial stress syndrome is the technical name for shin splints. It is due to a bone stress injury along the medial or inside edge of the tibia or leg bone. They symptoms usually start near the middle or lower third of the bone. Usually the symptoms of medial tibial stress syndrome are only present when the bone is palpated, but later becomes painful when running. The most common cause of medial tibial stress syndrome is a combination of factors. These factors include training errors such as doing too much training too soon; poor foot biomechanics such as a pronated foot; muscle tightness, especially the calf muscles; and inadequate running footwear.
The usual treatment for medial tibial stress syndrome is to change or modify the running activity, such as replace some of it with something like cycling or deep water running. Foot orthotics may need to be used to help with the foot biomechanics and proper footwear advice needs to be given. Calf muscle stretching is also very important for those with medial tibial stress syndrome.
