Volume ramped too fast
The #1 cause. Going from 0 to 6 days of sprint sessions inside two weeks overloads the tibialis anterior. The fix is a 50% volume drop for 7-10 days, not a complete stop.
Shin splints are the single most common complaint in high school sprinters. They are not a mystery injury. They are an overuse pattern almost always tied to volume, surface change, or footwear. Caught early they fix in 7-14 days. Pushed through they turn into a tibial stress reaction that costs a full season. Below: what causes them, what works, and how long off you actually need.
The #1 cause. Going from 0 to 6 days of sprint sessions inside two weeks overloads the tibialis anterior. The fix is a 50% volume drop for 7-10 days, not a complete stop.
Moving from indoor to outdoor, or grass to track, swaps your impact pattern overnight. Pain that starts in week 1 of a surface change is almost always this. Alternate surfaces for 2 weeks.
Some sprinters heel-strike on warm-ups even though they are forefoot at speed. The heel-strike loads the shin. The fix is a midfoot landing on warm-ups, drilled separately.
Most shin splints are volume or surface, but a stubborn case can be mechanical. Film your warm-up jog and a sprint rep. AI compares foot strike, ankle dorsiflexion, and stride width. If the warm-up pattern is heel-loaded, the shin keeps getting hit even when you cut volume.
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