How Do I Stop My Shins From Hurting When I Run?

One injury forefoot running may prevent is shin splints. Left, shows a heel strike runner with high dorsiflexion (forefoot points back) at touchdown to allow initial ground-contact on the heel. The downside to hyper-dorsiflexion at touchdown during running is that it increases muscle activity at the tibialis anterior because more muscular effort of the tibialis anterior is needed to pull the forefoot back in order to heel strike at each step which in turn may lead to higher rates of strain and tension. This repetitive overuse can be stressful on the shins, making them more vulnerable to injury. Conversely, reducing dorsiflexion at touchdown by increasing plantarflexion, like in forefoot running, shown right, has proven effective in sharply reducing muscle activity and therefore work in the tibialis anterior and may be an important component for shin splints prevention. Read more here!