What Causes Lower-Leg Pain During Walking or Running?
A return to outdoor running, longer walks, sports, or fitness classes can sometimes bring an unwanted ache along the shin. This is often called shin splints, or medial tibial stress syndrome.
Shin splints commonly cause exercise-related pain along the inner border of the shin bone. Symptoms may be mild at first but can become more persistent when the same activity continues without enough recovery or without addressing contributing factors.
Common Signs of Shin Splints
You may notice:
- Aching or tenderness along a broader area of the inner shin
- Pain at the start of exercise that may ease as the body warms up
- Soreness that returns later in the workout or afterward
- Discomfort with running, jumping, fast walking, or hills
- Mild swelling or sensitivity when the area is pressed
Pain in one small, precise spot or pain that is present at rest may suggest a different problem, including a bone stress injury. That pattern should be assessed rather than treated as routine shin splints.
Why Do Shin Splints Develop?
Shin pain often appears after a rapid increase in training volume or intensity. Starting a new running program, adding hills, changing surfaces, returning after time off, or completing several high-impact sessions close together can exceed the lower leg’s current capacity.
Calf endurance, ankle and foot control, hip strength, running mechanics, footwear, and recovery may also affect how force is managed. The goal is not to blame one body feature, but to identify the combination of factors that can be changed.
Should You Stop All Activity?
Continuing to push through increasing pain can prolong symptoms. However, complete inactivity is not always necessary. Lower-impact activities may help maintain fitness while the amount of running or jumping is temporarily reduced.
The right choice depends on symptom severity and whether a more serious injury has been ruled out. A structured plan can help maintain movement while giving irritated tissues time to adapt.
How Physiotherapy Can Help
A physiotherapy assessment may include the painful area, ankle mobility, calf strength, foot and hip control, balance, footwear, and recent training history. Treatment may include:
- A temporary adjustment to running, jumping, or walking volume
- Progressive strengthening for the calf, foot, and supporting leg muscles
- Mobility work when a specific restriction affects movement
- Balance, landing, or running drills when appropriate
- A gradual return-to-running or return-to-sport plan
- Education about training progression and recovery days
When to Get Assessed
Book an assessment if pain keeps returning, becomes more intense, changes your walking or running, or is not improving after reducing the aggravating activity. Seek medical attention sooner for severe swelling, numbness, weakness, pain at rest, or very localized bone tenderness.
Contact Us Today!
At Health Plus Physiotherapy in Woodbridge, we can assess lower-leg pain and build a plan around your current symptoms, training history, and goals. Treatment may help restore strength and mobility while guiding a gradual return to walking, running, or sport.
For added convenience, physiotherapy appointments may also be available at our North Brampton and South Brampton clinics.
Contact our Woodbridge clinic today to schedule an assessment with one of our experienced physiotherapists.
