Shin splints treatment in Manchester
Find out why your shins hurt, make sure it isn't a stress fracture and get back to running with a plan.
Shin splints physio in Manchester city centre
Reviewed by Nick Chatziviltsos, PgDip, HCPC-registered physiotherapist (PH114351), November 2026
At a glance
Who gets it: Runners, especially newer runners and anyone who has just added distance, speed or hills.
Main symptom: A spread-out ache along the inner edge of the shin bone, often worst at the start of a run.
Typical recovery: Mild cases feel much better in 1 to 2 weeks and are back to full running in 3 to 6 weeks.
Sessions: Most runners need 3 to 6.
Avoid: Running through sharp pain, and stopping all exercise. Change the load, don't stop moving.
Get checked: Pain at one small spot on the bone, pain at night or pain when you hop: this can be a stress fracture.
The NHS says shin splints usually get better within a few weeks. The catch is that they often come back if you return to the same training that caused them.
Shin splints are one of the most common running injuries. We see them in new runners building to a first 10K, people training for the Manchester Marathon, and F45 members adding jumps and sprints to their week.
A good physio answers three questions. Is it shin splints or something more serious, like a stress fracture? What overloaded your shins this time? And what needs to change so they cope with the running you want to do?
🛠️ How we treat shin splints
Every shin splints plan at Athos Physio follows the same three steps. What changes is what we find at each one.
Step 1. Find the root cause of your shin splints
The pain is in your shin, but the reason is usually in your training, your strength or both. In your first 60-minute session we work out three things:
What's irritated: the inner edge of the shin bone and the tissue attached to it, or a focal bone stress injury that needs more care
What's overloading it: a jump in distance, pace or hills, a switch to road running, new shoes, or a calf that tires quickly
What's keeping it sensitive: running through pain, too little recovery between sessions, poor sleep, or not eating enough for your training
We show you on a 3D anatomy model on a tablet how the muscles of your calf pull on the shin bone, so you can see why the pain started.
Step 2. Treat what's driving it
Calm the pain. Soft tissue work and IASTM on the calf and the muscles along the inner shin, and joint mobilisation for a stiff ankle or foot.
Set a running level your shins tolerate. We cut volume rather than stopping completely where it's safe, often with cycling, swimming or the rower to keep your fitness.
Find what eases load. Flatter, softer routes, fewer back-to-back run days and, where it helps, a slightly shorter, quicker stride.
Treat the areas around it. A stiff ankle, weak hips or a foot that collapses a lot can all push more load through the shin. We work on those too.
Step 3. Build shins that last
The last stage gets your lower legs strong enough for your next training block, not just pain-free:
Progressive strength work, such as straight-knee and bent-knee calf raises, tibialis raises, single-leg balance, split squats and step-downs, building to 3 sets of 15 to 25 single-leg calf raises.
Rehab on the gym floor. Being inside F45 NQ means we can add skipping, pogo hops and bounding under supervision before you run.
Practise what caused it. A walk-run plan back to your usual distance, then hills, speed work or your F45 jump stations.
A flare-up plan. What to do if your shins niggle again, so you can adjust your week yourself.
We finish when you're running your planned distance with confidence, not just when the shins stop aching.
Want to know why your shins keep flaring up? Your first 60-minute session finds the cause and starts your return-to-running plan the same day. Book your assessment →
🔍 What are shin splints?
Shin splints is the common name for medial tibial stress syndrome (MTSS). It's pain along the lower inner edge of the shin bone, brought on by exercise. The tender area is usually 5 cm or longer, rather than one spot.
It's an overload problem. When the shin bone and the tissue attached to it are loaded faster than they can adapt, they become sore. If loading keeps rising, it can progress to a bone stress injury, so shin pain is worth taking seriously.
Causes of shin pain in runners
Shin splints (MTSS): overload of the inner shin bone and its attachments; tender along 5 cm or more; often eases as you warm up.
Tibial stress fracture: a small crack or bone stress injury in the shin bone; one very tender spot; pain walking, at rest or at night.
Calf strain, often the soleus: a tear in a deep calf muscle; tight, sore calf; hurts pushing off; may follow a faster run.
Tendon pain at the inner ankle: the tendon running behind the inner ankle bone; pain and swelling just behind or below the ankle bone.
Exertional compartment syndrome: pressure builds in the muscle compartments during exercise; tightness, burning or numbness that builds, then eases soon after stopping.
Working out which of these you have is the first job of your assessment. It changes whether you can keep running and how fast you can progress.
⚠️ Shin splints symptoms
Most shin splints show a mix of these:
An ache or sharp pain along the lower inner edge of the shin
Tenderness when you press along a stretch of the bone, not just one point
Pain at the start of a run that may ease as you warm up, then returns afterwards
Pain the morning after a run, or on stairs
Both shins affected, although one is often worse
Sometimes mild swelling along the inner shin
Is it shin splints, a stress fracture or your calf?
Shin pain has several causes. These clues help us tell them apart:
One small spot that's very tender, pain that gets worse as you run, or pain walking or at night, points to a stress fracture. Stop running and get assessed. See stress fracture.
A tight, sore calf that hurts most pushing off, especially after speed work, may be a calf strain.
Pain at the back of the heel or low calf is more often the Achilles. See Achilles tendinopathy.
Tightness, burning or numbness that builds at the same point in each run, then eases within minutes of stopping, may be exertional compartment syndrome. This needs a medical opinion.
We test each of these at your first session rather than guessing from the symptoms alone.
🔍 What causes shin splints?
Shin splints happen when running load rises faster than your lower legs can adapt. Research in runners links them to being newer to running, a past episode, being female and a foot that flattens more as you land.
Common triggers we see in Manchester
A new training plan. Couch to 5K, a first half marathon or a marathon block that ramps up quickly.
More road and pavement running. Switching from treadmill or park paths to city pavements, or adding hills.
Adding jumps and sprints. HIIT and F45 sessions with box jumps, skipping and shuttle runs on top of running.
Too little recovery. Running on consecutive days, or doubling up with classes, before your legs adapt.
Weak or tired calves. Calves that fatigue quickly pass more load to the bone.
Under-fuelling. Not eating enough for your training can affect bone health and recovery.
What doesn't usually cause it
Flat feet on their own don't cause shin splints, and many runners with flat feet never get them. Expensive shoes aren't a cure either. What matters most is how fast your training changes and how strong your legs are for it.
🧪 How we assess shin splints
Your first session lasts 60 minutes, so there's time to assess properly and start treatment the same day. Bring the shoes you run in, and your training log or app if you use one. Here's what happens:
Your story and training (15 minutes). When it started, your weekly distance, pace, surfaces, shoes and recent changes. We also ask about sleep, fuelling and, for women, your periods, because these affect bone health.
Safety screen. We check for the stress fracture signs listed on this page before any loading tests.
Feeling the bone. We press along the shin to see whether the tenderness is spread over 5 cm or more, or in one spot.
Loading tests. A single-leg hop test and a single-leg calf raise test to fatigue, compared side to side. Pain on hopping in one spot is a warning sign.
Foot, ankle and hip checks. Ankle bend, foot posture and how much your arch drops, plus hip and glute strength.
Running assessment. We watch you run on the treadmill or film you on your phone, looking at stride length, cadence and how you land.
Your diagnosis and plan. In plain English: what's sore, why now, how much you can run this week and how we'll build you back up.
You'll leave with treatment already started, the first two or three exercises of your custom rehab plan, and a written running plan. If a stress fracture is possible, we'll explain why and arrange a referral for imaging through your GP or a private scan.
🛠️ Shin splints treatment at Athos Physio
We don't just tell you to rest and ice. Every plan is built around your diagnosis, your training and your next race or goal. It moves through four phases, at the pace your shins allow.
Settle (weeks 0 to 2). Bring pain down while keeping fitness. Reduced or paused running; cycling, swimming or rowing; soft tissue work and IASTM on the calf; ankle mobilisation.
Restore (weeks 2 to 4). Walk, hop and do calf raises without pain. Calf and tibialis strength; balance work; pain-free walking and low-level hopping.
Strengthen and reload (weeks 4 to 8). Build capacity and restart running. Single-leg calf raises, split squats and step-downs; skipping and pogo hops; a walk-run plan.
Return and prevent (week 6 onwards). Get back to full training and stop it returning. Building distance before speed and hills; adding jumps back; a long-term strength routine and flare plan.
Hands-on treatment helps most in the first phase. It eases pain and tight calves, but on its own it won't fix shin splints. Changing your training and building strength do that.
Throughout, you'll get a home programme of 3 to 5 exercises, about 15 minutes a day. We review and progress it each session. Most runners need 3 to 6 sessions. Long-standing or recurring shin splints often need a longer plan.
What actually works for shin splints?
There's no NICE guideline for shin splints. The research is limited, so we're cautious about what we promise.
What the research supports: a 2013 systematic review in Sports Medicine found no treatment had strong enough evidence to recommend over others. Most studies were small and at high risk of bias; the NHS says shin splints usually settle on their own within a few weeks, and physio may help if they don't; research on risk factors in runners links shin splints with a previous episode, less running experience, being female, higher body mass and a foot that drops more on landing.
Because of this, our plan rests on what makes sense for an overload injury: reducing load enough to settle it, building calf and leg strength, and returning to running gradually.
What the evidence doesn't support: compression socks or leg braces as a fix. Studies haven't shown they work; stretching alone, without changes to load; complete rest for weeks on end, which leaves your legs less ready to run; routine scans for typical shin splints. Imaging is for when a stress fracture is suspected.
⏱️ How long do shin splints take to heal?
The NHS says most shin splints improve within a few weeks. These are typical ranges we see. Your timeline depends on how long you've had it, how much you run and how consistently you do the plan.
Mild shin splints, caught early: feeling much better: 1 to 2 weeks; back to full running: 3 to 6 weeks.
Moderate shin splints: feeling much better: 2 to 4 weeks; back to full running: 6 to 10 weeks.
Long-standing or recurring shin splints: feeling much better: 4 to 8 weeks; back to full running: 3 to 4 months.
Tibial bone stress injury: feeling much better: see stress fracture; back to full running: usually 6 to 12 weeks or more.
"Back to full running" means your normal weekly distance, speed sessions and hills, not just easy jogs. That last step is where most people stop too early, and it's the step that stops shin splints coming back.
✅ Shin splints and your training
If you run
Change one thing at a time. Add distance, pace or hills, never all three in the same week.
Keep a rest day between runs while you rebuild, and avoid back-to-back hard days.
Try a slightly quicker cadence. A 5 to 10% increase in steps per minute shortens your stride and may reduce load on the shin. Make the change gradually.
Mix your surfaces. Use park paths, the canal towpath or a track alongside city pavements.
Replace worn shoes, and change to new models gradually rather than all at once.
If you do F45 or HIIT
Swap jumps for low-impact options for a few weeks: the bike or rower instead of skipping, box jumps or sprints.
Count classes as running load. A heavy jumping class the day after a long run adds up.
Self-help in the first few days
Cut your running back to a level that doesn't increase pain during or after
Use a wrapped ice pack on the sore area for 10 to 15 minutes after activity
Keep fit with cycling or swimming
Eat enough to fuel your training, with enough calcium and protein
Can I keep running with shin splints?
Often yes, at a lower level. It depends on what's causing your pain.
Keep running, reduced, if the pain is mild (3 out of 10 or less), spread along the shin, doesn't get worse as you run and has settled by the next morning.
Stop running and get assessed if the pain is in one spot, builds as you run, makes you limp, or hurts when walking, hopping or at night. These are signs of a possible stress fracture.
If you have a race coming up, get assessed early. There's often more room to adapt your plan in week 4 than in week 14.
Related conditions
Stress fracture: pain at one spot on the bone that gets worse with every run
Calf strain: a sudden pull or tightness in the back of the lower leg
Achilles tendinopathy: pain and stiffness just above the heel, worst in the morning
Running injuries: every running injury we treat, from knees to feet
❓ Shin splints FAQs
🚨 Physio, GP or A&E?
Most shin pain from running is safe to manage with a physio. Some signs need imaging or a doctor. This list follows NHS guidance.
Book a physio (no GP referral needed): aching along the inner shin with running, that eases with rest; shin pain that hasn't settled after 2 weeks of reduced running; one very tender spot on the bone, pain when walking, hopping, at rest or at night (stop running and book an assessment; you may need a scan to check for a stress fracture).
See your GP: repeated stress fractures, missed or irregular periods, or a big drop in weight (see your GP to check your bone health); numbness, tingling or foot weakness that comes on during runs (see a GP or sports doctor).
Call your GP urgently or 111: severe shin pain, or pain after a direct injury or fall (call 111 or get an urgent GP appointment); calf pain and swelling in one leg, with warm or darkened skin (get an urgent GP appointment or call 111).
Call 999 or go to A&E: leg swelling with chest pain or trouble breathing (call 999 or go to A&E).
If you're ever unsure, ring us on 07475 433300 and we'll tell you honestly whether you should see us or someone else first.
Not sure if it's shin splints or a stress fracture? Book a free 15-minute call and we'll tell you honestly what to do next. Book a free call →
-
Yes. A physio checks it isn't a stress fracture, finds what overloaded your shins and builds a strength and return-to-running plan so they cope with your training.
-
The NHS says most get better within a few weeks. Long-standing or recurring cases can take 2 to 4 months to fully settle.
-
If the pain is mild, spread out and doesn't build during the run, you can usually keep running at a reduced level. If it's getting worse, stop and get assessed.
-
A stress fracture usually causes pain in one small spot, gets worse as you run, and may hurt when walking, hopping or at night. If you notice these, stop running and get assessed.
-
Usually not. Shin splints are diagnosed from your symptoms and an examination. A scan, usually an MRI, is only needed if a stress fracture is suspected.
-
Calf raises with a straight and bent knee, tibialis raises, single-leg balance and hip strength work. We'll set the level and build to hopping before you run again.
-
They may feel comfortable, but research hasn't shown they fix shin splints. Changing your training and building strength matter more.
-
Usually because training rises faster than your legs adapt, or rehab stops before your calves are strong enough. A structured plan breaks the cycle.
-
Most runners need 3 to 6 sessions, with a home programme in between. We'll give you an estimate at your first appointment.
-
Yes. We work with Bupa, WPA, Vitality and Aviva. Check with your insurer first, as some ask for a GP referral or an authorisation code.
-
Your first 60-minute assessment and treatment is £95. Follow-up sessions are £55 for 30 minutes, £95 for 60 minutes or £135 for 90 minutes. See our price list for all fees.
-
Yes. Book a free 15-minute consultation and we'll tell you honestly whether physio is the right next step for your shins.
📍 Book shin splints treatment in Manchester city centre
Athos Physio is inside F45 NQ, 77 Piccadilly, Manchester M1 2BU, a two-minute walk from Piccadilly station and Piccadilly Gardens. We're open 7am to 8pm, Monday to Friday, so you can come in before or after work.
Your first appointment is a 60-minute assessment and treatment (£95). Follow-ups are £55 for 30 minutes, £95 for 60 minutes or £135 for 90 minutes. We work with Bupa, WPA, Vitality and Aviva, and you can see all our fees on the price list.
Can't get into town? We also offer home physio visits and online physiotherapy. Not sure physio is right for you? Book a free 15-minute call and we'll talk it through.
Call or WhatsApp 07475 433300, or book online.
Other services: Physiotherapy and active rehab · Sports massage · Pregnancy and postnatal physio · Home visits · Online physio
Written by Nick Chatziviltsos, physiotherapist and founder of Athos Physio, BSc (Hons) Physiotherapy, HCPC registered. Last reviewed: November 2026.
Insurance providers we are affiliated with
Athos Physio is a full-service physiotherapy clinic
We offer injury rehabilitation, post-surgery functional strengthening, deep tissue massage and pain relief, and strength training expertise. We support you in becoming pain-free so that you can achieve a limitless life experience. If you want to speak with us before booking a session you reach out via WhatsApp, call us or email us.
We are based in Manchester city centre a couple of minutes walk from Piccadilly train station and Piccadilly Gardens Square