Melt Away Shin Splint Pain with These 5 Easy Stretches

Ease shin splints with these gentle stretches to melt away pain.

Do you suffer from sharp, throbbing pain along the front of your shin bones? It could be shin splints. Caused by running on flat, hard surfaces or engaging in new or intense physical exercise, shin splints are stressed medial tibial muscles that can have you limping around for three to five days.

The good news is that there are a handful of stretches you can do to bring quick relief and loosen up the stiffness. These five shin stretches are not only great for when you have pain, they can be used as preventative steps as well. It never hurts to show your shins some love to keep them healthy!

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I recommend doing these stretches barefoot and near a wall to hold on to for support. For best results, do all five of these stretches once, then repeat to go deeper into the muscles once warmed up.

You’ll need:

• A soft yoga block or towel
• A chair

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Standing Toe Tuck | 3 breaths per side

The block acts as a cushion to make your toes more comfortable, but this can be done with a towel instead.

1. Place your left foot, with toes curled, over a block about 1 foot behind you.
2. Keep the right leg straight.
3. With your hands on your hips, hinge at the hips, sticking your butt back until you feel the stretch in your shin.
4. Lean your upper body forward to counter the balance. (Hold on to a wall for support if needed.)
5. Press down into the block with the top of your foot to intensify the stretch.
6. Hold for 3 deep breaths, then switch sides.

Note: It’s key to stick your hips back as far as you can while maintaining pressure on the top of your foot.

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Standing Quad-Shin Stretch | 3 breaths per side

1. Stand with your feet about shoulder-width apart.
2. Lift your left foot up behind your butt and grab it with one or both hands.
3. Grab onto your toes and press them in towards you to emphasize the stretch in your shin.
4. Rather than pressing your hips forward as you would in a quad stretch, focus on pressing your toes closer to your behind, holding on to a wall for balance if needed.
5. Continue this stretch for 3 deep breaths, then switch sides.

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Kneeling Block Shin Stretch | 5 breaths

This stretch can be done with either a yoga block or towel.

1. Place one yoga block on the ground, on its flat side, horizontally.
2. Kneel down on the ground in front of it and place the tops of your feet on the block.
3. Sit back with your butt on your heels, then lean back and walk your hands back until your knees lift up and you feel a stretch in your shins.
4. Hold this stretch for 5 deep breaths.

Note: The more you lean back and lift your knees, the greater the stretch in your shins. Only lean back to a comfortable stretch you can sit with.

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Seated Shin Stretch | 3 breaths per side

1. Sit on a chair.
2. Lift up your right foot and set your right ankle on top of your left knee.
3. Wrap your palm around the top of your right foot and gently pull towards you as you feel the stretch across the front of your shin.
4. Hold for 3 deep breaths, then switch sides.

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Seated Foot Rotation Shin Stretch | 3 breaths per side

1. Sit on a chair.
2. Lift up your right foot and set your right ankle on top of your left knee.
3. Rotate the sole of your right foot up towards the ceiling.
4. Wrap your fingers around the top of your right foot and gently pull towards you.
5. Hold for 3 deep breaths, then switch sides.

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