Shin Splints & Stress Fracture Treatment

Shin splints and stress fractures are common overuse injuries affecting runners and athletes in Overland Park and throughout the Kansas City area. Whether you're training on the Indian Creek Trail, running at the Overland Park Arboretum, or working out at Fit House KC, these conditions can significantly impact your training and performance. At Move Muscle & Joint, we specialize in treating the underlying causes of shin splints and stress fractures to help you return to activity safely.

Shin splints, medically known as medial tibial stress syndrome (MTSS), involve pain along the inner edge of the shinbone (tibia). This condition results from repetitive stress causing inflammation of muscles, tendons, and bone tissue. Common in runners, dancers, and military recruits, shin splints typically develop when training volume or intensity increases too quickly, or when biomechanical issues place excessive stress on the lower leg.

Stress fractures are small cracks in the bone caused by repetitive force and overuse. In the lower leg, they most commonly occur in the tibia or fibula. Stress fractures represent a more serious progression along the bone stress continuum and require more conservative management than shin splints. They often develop when shin splints are ignored or when training continues despite pain.

Common symptoms of shin splints include pain along the inner shin that worsens with activity, tenderness to touch along the bone, mild swelling, and pain that improves with rest. Stress fractures typically produce more localized, severe pain that persists even at rest, point tenderness over a specific area, pain with hopping on one leg, and swelling over the fracture site.

Risk factors for both conditions include rapid increases in training volume or intensity, running on hard surfaces, worn-out or improper footwear, biomechanical issues (overpronation, high arches, leg length discrepancies), muscle imbalances and weakness, poor running mechanics, and inadequate recovery between training sessions. Female athletes may have additional risk factors related to the female athlete triad (low energy availability, menstrual dysfunction, and low bone density).

Our treatment approach addresses not just the symptoms but the underlying biomechanical and training factors that caused the injury. We work with runners and athletes throughout Overland Park, Leawood, Prairie Village, Lenexa, Olathe, and surrounding communities, helping them recover from shin splints and stress fractures while implementing strategies to prevent recurrence.