Why Does My Shin Feel Sore When I Increase My Running Mileage?

Your shins may start aching partway through a run when you increase your mileage, with soreness building as you cover more distance than your lower legs are used to handling.

When you add more miles to your usual runs, your shins have to handle repeated foot strikes for longer than they are accustomed to. The muscles along the front of your lower leg help lift your foot, while your calf muscles help control each landing and push-off. If the added distance is more than these muscles can comfortably manage, soreness may begin during a run or become more noticeable afterward.

Shin soreness associated with increased mileage is often described as a dull ache along the front or inner edge of the shin. One possible cause is shin splints, which involve pain along the shinbone and nearby tissues. However, a stress injury to the bone can also cause shin pain, so the location, severity, and behavior of the pain matter.

Each Stride Adds More Work For Your Shins

Your lower leg muscles have to absorb and control repeated impact with every step.

As your mileage increases, your calf and shin muscles repeat the same work hundreds or thousands of times over a longer run. If they are not accustomed to that distance, they can become fatigued and less able to handle the repeated demands comfortably. This can leave the area along your shin feeling sore as you continue running.

The Ache Builds As The Miles Add Up

The longer you run, the more repeated stress your shins have to handle.

Even if your legs feel fine during the first part of a run, soreness may develop as the miles accumulate and your lower legs tire. Adding distance before your body has adjusted to the increase can make the same pace feel harder on your shins than it did during shorter runs. If you keep increasing mileage while the pain is building, each run may aggravate the problem further.

Why Your Shin Soreness Keeps Returning With More Miles

Your shins have a hard time healing when blood flow and circulation are limited.

Tendons, ligaments, and other soft tissues naturally receive less blood supply than many other parts of the body. Because of this, they often take longer to heal after repeated stress or injury, leaving you more vulnerable to lingering pain and a cycle of reinjury.

When circulation through the area remains limited, injured tissues have a harder time receiving the vital oxygen and nutrients they need to repair and heal. This can leave your shins feeling stiff, tight, weak, or painful during everyday movement and activity.

What Can Help Your Shins Feel Better

Your shins start feeling better when blood flow and circulation improve.

Chinese herbs have been used for centuries to promote healthy blood flow and circulation. Their medicinal properties help break up stagnant blood and fluids that remain trapped around injured tissues, interfering with circulation. As circulation improves, blood flows more freely through the area, allowing those tissues to receive the oxygen and nutrients they need to heal properly.

Topical herbal remedies made with these Chinese herbs can help relieve pain while improving blood flow and circulation to injured tissues. The right product depends on your symptoms and whether you're in the acute or chronic stage of recovery.

If you have pain, swelling, inflammation, or bruising, Acute Sinew Liniment helps relieve these symptoms by increasing circulation and dispersing stagnant blood and fluids around the injured area to speed recovery. During the acute stage of healing, getting circulation moving early allows injured tissues to receive the fresh blood, oxygen, and nutrients they need to repair and heal.

If your injured area is especially swollen, red, or warm to the touch after a recent injury or flare-up, Sinew Herbal Ice is also used to reduce swelling and inflammation while restoring normal circulation so you can quickly regain range of motion. While traditional ice is commonly used to reduce swelling, Sinew Herbal Ice acts as an ice alternative to reduce swelling and inflammation while also dispersing accumulated blood and fluids to speed the healing process.

If you no longer have swelling or inflammation, but still have pain, stiffness, weakness, or sensitivity in cold and damp weather, Chronic Sinew Liniment helps relieve these symptoms by strongly stimulating circulation and increasing blood supply to injured tendons and ligaments to promote their healing. This is especially important because tendons and ligaments naturally receive less blood supply, which is why chronic injuries can take longer to heal.

If you have residual pain and stiffness, or the area becomes more painful in cold weather, Sinew Injury Poultice is also used to significantly stimulate circulation to injured tendons and ligaments to further promote their healing. By strongly increasing circulation, it counteracts the reduced blood flow caused by cold weather that commonly aggravates chronic tendon and ligament injuries.

If you exercise, play sports, or do other strenuous activities, Sinew Sports Massage Oil warms and stimulates muscles for exertion and relieves muscle tightness and soreness after activity. Warming and preparing your muscles before activity can improve flexibility, enhance performance, and reduce the risk of injury.

Frequently Asked Questions

You may also find these commonly asked questions helpful.

Why do my shins get sore when I increase my running mileage?

Your shins may become sore because your lower leg muscles and the tissues around your shinbone are handling more repeated impact than they are used to. Increasing distance too quickly can aggravate the area.

Can increasing running distance cause shin splints?

Yes. Increasing mileage too quickly is a common trigger for shin splints, which can cause aching along the front or inner edge of your shin.

Should I keep running if my shins hurt during a run?

Do not push through worsening shin pain. Reduce or stop running until the pain settles, and seek medical evaluation if it is persistent, severe, or localized to one spot on the bone.

How can I tell if shin pain is more serious than shin splints?

Pain concentrated in one small spot, pain when walking or resting, or worsening pain despite reducing running can indicate a bone stress injury and should be evaluated by a healthcare professional.

How can I prevent shin soreness when increasing my running mileage?

Increase your distance gradually, allow time between demanding runs, and avoid adding substantial mileage when your shins are already sore. Comfortable shoes and strengthening your calf and lower leg muscles may also help.

The information provided here is intended to help you better understand your symptoms and recovery, but it is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

Persistent, severe, or worsening symptoms should be evaluated by a qualified healthcare professional.