Because of the high injury rates, many injured heel strike runners are looking to forefoot running because consistent with the research, forefoot running naturally engages additional mechanical outputs that do a better job at sustainably reducing net forces not just on the shins, but also the knees, hips and lower back than heel strike running.
One reason heel striking causes shin splints is because landing heel-first prevents the ankles from absorbing impact by causing the ankle to be unusually stiff at heel strike. The ankle stiffness was found to amplify the ground reaction force on the shins as compared with forefoot running.
Heel strike running was found to increase rapid contractions in the anterior tibialis (the muscle that runs down the front of the shin) which was found to be a risk factor for shin splints as compared with forefoot running.
One way to stop your shins from hurting when you run is to avoid landing with a heel strike and instead land with a forefoot strike. This is because forefoot running was found to have the biggest improvements in reduing opposing forces off the shins.
Forefoot running is better for the shins because it reduces the opposing forces and mechanical strain that causes chronic shin splints as compared with heel strike running.
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