Orthopedics Physical Therapy Exercises Print Stretches to Ease and Prevent Shin Splints By Terence Vanderheiden, DPM Terence Vanderheiden, DPM, is a podiatrist in Massachusetts with a subspecialty in the area of podiatric sports medicine. Learn about our editorial policy Terence Vanderheiden, DPM Medically reviewed by Medically reviewed by Laura Campedelli, PT, DPT on January 06, 2020 linkedin Laura Campedelli, PT, DPT, is a physical therapist with experience in hospital-based acute care and outpatient therapy with both children and adults. Learn about our Medical Review Board Laura Campedelli, PT, DPT Updated on January 16, 2020 More in Orthopedics Physical Therapy Exercises Sprains & Strains Fractures & Broken Bones Orthopedic Surgery Osteoporosis Pediatric Orthopedics Sports Injuries Shoulder & Elbow Hip & Knee Hand & Wrist Leg, Foot & Ankle Assistive Devices & Orthotics Medication & Injections View All Shin splints are a common problem for many people, especially runners and joggers. There are some stretches that may help to ease the pain from or prevent shin splints, a condition referred to medically as medial tibial stress syndrome. Here are eight science-backed exercises to help you stretch and strengthen your lower leg muscles. As a quick reminder, it's important to point out that not all shin pain is shin splints and it's important to see your doctor or talk to your physical therapist to make sure you are dealing with shin splints rather than another problem. Is Your Pain Shin Splints or Something Else? 1 Seated Calf Stretch Terence Vanderheiden, D.P.M For the first exercise, sit on the floor with your knees straight. Loop a rope or towel around the front of your foot and use the towel to pull your foot totally flexed, then maintain the stretch in flexed position for 30 seconds. Keep your legs flat on the floor. The motion should only be at your ankle joints. Frequency Repeat this stretch five times. Do this three times per day. Next Step Once you have mastered the stretch of the back of the leg (calf), it is time to strengthen the front of the leg (shin/ankle) by using a resistance band. Perform the same movements, but loop a resistance band around the front of your foot and the other end of the band around a table or chair leg. Frequency Repeat this strengthening exercise five times. Do this three times per day. 2 Toe Walking for Stretching and Strengthening Terence Vanderheiden, D.P.M. The toe walking exercise begins by standing in place and rising up onto your toes with your heels off of the floor. Try to hold the position for 10 seconds and slowly lower your heels back to the floor. Note that if you're feeling pain, you should stop. If an overworked muscle is causing your shin splints, utilizing that muscle could make your shin splints worse—and standing on your toes may be very uncomfortable in this case. Listen to your body and proceed gently. Frequency Start with 3 sets of 10 exercises and then increase to 3 sets of 30 exercises. Do this 3 times per day. Next Step Once you have mastered standing in one place, start walking on your toes. Start with your toes pointed straight ahead, walk about 25 yards. Next, point your toes inward and walk 25 yards. Finish by pointing your toes outward and walk 25 yards. Remember to keep your heels off the floor. Frequency Start with three sets of 10 exercises and then increase to three sets of 30 exercises. Do this three times per day. After you have mastered walking on your toes, you can progress to high-impact exercises like jogging or skipping. Be sure to do them on soft grass or other soft surfaces. 3 Heel Walking for Stretching and Strengthening Terence Vanderheiden, D.P.M. The heel walking exercise begins by standing in place and lifting the front of your foot off of the floor and keeping your heels on the floor. As long as you're not in pain, try to hold the position for 10 seconds and then slowly lower the front of your foot back to the floor. Frequency Start with three sets of 10 exercises and then increase to three sets of 30 exercises. Do this three times per day. Next Step Once you have mastered standing in one place, start walking on your heels. Start with your toes pointed straight ahead, walk about 25 yards. Next, point your toes inward and walk 25 yards. Finish by pointing your toes outward and walk 25 yards. Remember to keep the front of your foot off of the floor. Frequency Start with three sets of 10 exercises and then increase to three sets of 30 exercises. Do this three times per day. 4 Standing Ankle Dorisflexion Stretch Terence Vanderheiden, D.P.M. The standing ankle dorsiflexion stretch begins by standing and facing a wall. Keep your knee straight and your heel on the floor and place the front bottom part of your foot against the wall. You will feel a stretch in your calf muscles. You could also use an inclined platform for this stretch. Frequency Start with three sets of 10 exercises and then increase to three sets of 30 exercises. Do this three times per day. 5 Straight Knee Calf Wall Stretch Terence Vanderheiden, D.P.M. The straight knee calf wall stretch begins by standing and facing a wall with your body square to the wall. Outstretch your arms and hands and lean against the wall. Keep one knee straight with your heel and foot firmly on the floor and gently lean forward until you feel a pull in the back of your leg (calf). When your knee is straight, this stretches the gastrocnemius (superficial calf muscle). Hold for 30 seconds. Frequency Repeat this stretch five times. Do this three times per day. 6 Bent Knee Calf Wall Stretch Terence Vanderheiden, D.P.M. The bent knee calf wall stretch also begins with standing and facing a wall with your body square to the wall. Outstretch your arms and hands and lean against the wall. Keep one knee bent with your heel and foot firmly on the floor and gently lean forward until you feel a pull in the back of your leg (calf). When your knee is bent, this stretches the soleus (deep calf muscle). Frequency Repeat this stretch five times. Do this three times per day. 7 Wall Toe Raises for Strengthening Terence Vanderheiden, D.P.M. The wall toe raising exercise that helps with strengthening begins by standing with your back against a wall. Keep your heels on the floor and raise the front of your foot up (dorsiflexion) toward the front of your lower leg (shin). Hold that position for 10 seconds and then lower your foot back down so that it almost touches the floor, then begin the next exercise. Frequency Start with three sets of 10 exercises and then increase to three sets of 30 exercises. Do this three times per day. Once you have mastered doing the exercise with both feet at the same time, start to do the exercise one leg at a time. Another variation to try is to do quick up and downs of the foot. Remember to keep your heel firmly planted on the floor. Frequency Start with three sets of 10 exercises and then increase to three sets of 30 exercises. Do this three times per day. 8 Foot Step Holds for Strengthening Terence Vanderheiden, D.P.M. This exercise helps strengthen the muscles in the front of your lower legs. Begin by standing comfortably with your feet shoulder-width apart. Take a normal sized step forward with one leg and let your heel touch the floor, but before the front bottom part of your foot touches the floor you need to stop. Do not let the front part of your foot hit the floor. Step back so your feet are side by side and shoulder-width apart as when you started. Frequency Start with three sets of 10 exercises and then increase to three sets of 30 exercises. Do this three times per day. Larger Step Version Once you have mastered a normal size step, take a much larger step forward. If that becomes easy, you can progress to using a step stool. Stand with both feet on the step stool and step down off the stool with one foot. Your heel should touch the floor, but you should stop before the front of your foot touches the floor. Frequency Start with three sets of 10 exercises and then increase to three sets of 30 exercises. Do this 3 times per day. A Word From Verywell Shin splints can disrupt even the most motivated runner's plans. Ideally, shin splints could be prevented from occurring in the first place but that's not always possible. It's important to note that there are ways to reduce your risk of shin splints other than stretching. Trying to run on soft surfaces, getting adequate rest between runs, and trying to avoid heel striking and toe running (especially when running downhill) can all help reduce your risk or reduce your discomfort from shin splints. There are other things that can make a difference as well, and if you are either living with shin splints today, or trying to avoid them in the future, it's a good idea to connect with a physical therapist who is not only knowledgable but has experience in helping other athletes with this annoying condition. For example, a 2019 study notes that the "kinematics," or how runners place their feet when running can play a significant role in both the prevention and recovery (rehabilitation) from shin splints or medial tibial stress syndrome. How to Treat and Prevent Shin Splints Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Get exercise tips to make your workouts less work and more fun. Sign Up You're in! Thank you, {{form.email}}, for signing up. There was an error. Please try again. What are your concerns? Other Inaccurate Hard to Understand Submit Article Sources Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial policy to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. Loudon JK, Dolphino MR. Use of foot orthoses and calf stretching for individuals with medial tibial stress syndrome. Foot & Ankle Specialist. 2009;3(1):15-20. doi:10.1177/1938640009355659 Tolbert TA, Binkley HM. Treatment and prevention of shin splints. Strength and Conditioning Journal. 2009;31(5):69-72. doi:10.1519/SSC.0b013e3181b94e3c Galbraith RM, Lavallee ME. Medial tibial stress syndrome: conservative treatment options. Current reviews in musculoskeletal medicine. 2009;2(3):127-33. doi:10.1007/s12178-009-9055-6 Okunuki T, Koshino Y, Yamanaka M, et al. Forefoot and hindfoot kinematics in subjects with medial tibial stress syndrome during walking and running. J. Orthop. Res. 2019;37(4):927-932. doi:10.1002/jor.24223 Additional Reading American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons. Shin Splints.