Shin Splints (Medial Tibial Stress Syndrome)

Medically reviewed by Dr. Tony Willcox, PhD, D.A.O.M., A.P.
Last reviewed: September 2026

Few injuries frustrate a runner like shin splints — the aching, tender pain along the inner edge of the shin that flares the moment you pick the pace back up. At Acupuncture Zen in Delray Beach, shin splints — known medically as medial tibial stress syndrome (MTSS) — are treated as what they are: an overuse injury of the lower leg that responds best to hands-on care paired with smart load management. Dr. Tony Willcox, A.P., uses dry needling and laser therapy to ease pain and support recovery, so active people can return to training on steadier ground. Shin splints are one of several conditions the clinic treats within its sports and active-injury care.

Shin splints, or medial tibial stress syndrome, describe exercise-related pain along the posteromedial — the inner-rear — border of the tibia, or shinbone. The pain typically spreads across a broad band several inches long, aching at the start of activity, sometimes easing as the muscles warm, then returning afterward. It is understood to arise when repetitive loading outpaces the lower leg’s ability to adapt: the soleus and tibialis muscles, the connective tissue that anchors them to the bone, and the bone’s outer lining all take on stress faster than they can recover. Shin splints sit on a spectrum — mild irritation at one end and, if pushed through and ignored, a tibial stress reaction at the other.

The hallmark of shin splints is a diffuse ache along the inner shin. Common signs include:

• Aching or tender pain along the inner shin, often spread over several inches
• Pain at the start of a run or workout that may ease as you warm up
• Tenderness when pressing along the inner edge of the shinbone
• Pain that returns — and lingers — after activity
• Tightness in the calves

Common contributors include a sudden jump in training volume or intensity, running on hard surfaces, worn or unsupportive footwear, overpronation or flat feet, tight or weak calf muscles, and returning to activity too quickly after a layoff. Because it is a loading problem, shin splints tend to respond as much to what happens between sessions as to the treatment itself.

Because tight calves overload the shin, the heel, and the back of the leg alike, shin splints often show up alongside plantar fasciitis and calf and Achilles injuries.

In traditional Chinese medicine, shin splint pain is understood as a local obstruction of qi and blood in the channels crossing the lower leg—circulation slowed and stagnated by repetitive strain, and sometimes by cold or damp settling into overworked tissue. The aim of care is to free that local flow, release the tight musculature that pulls on the shin, and support the tissue’s natural recovery so the area can tolerate load again.

Because shin splints are a soft-tissue and bone-stress overuse injury rather than a matter of energy balance alone, care at Acupuncture Zen leads with dry needling and laser therapy.

Dry needling targets the tight, overworked muscles that pull on the shin — especially the soleus and deep calf — releasing trigger points that keep tension on the tibia. A 2024 randomized controlled trial of athletes with medial tibial stress syndrome found that dry needling of the soleus reduced pain and improved ankle range of motion.

Laser therapy — K-Laser and NovoTHOR red-light therapy — is used to help calm inflammation and support tissue recovery at the tender border of the shin. Direct research on laser specifically for shin splints is still limited, so it’s offered here as a supportive comfort measure alongside the needle-based work rather than as a standalone treatment.

Both approaches are understood to support comfort and recovery, and both work best alongside the essentials of shin-splint care: easing training load, correcting footwear and running surface, and rebuilding calf and hip strength. The goal is a lower leg that can take load again — not a quick patch over a training error.

A first visit begins with the story behind the shins — training history, footwear, surfaces, and how the pain behaves before, during, and after activity — along with a hands-on exam of the calf and shin. From there, Dr. Tony builds an individualized plan. Treatment often combines dry needling of the calf musculature with laser therapy directed along the tender border of the tibia. Because shin splints are a loading injury, care usually takes the form of a short course of sessions, paired with clear guidance on how to adjust training so the tissue can recover between visits.