How to treat shin splints

Comment by Chad J. Dupuis, L.Ac.

In Chinese Medicine you never treat “x” - that is, you always treat the persons diagnosis in Chinese Medicine terms (i.e. the underlying causes) and then tailor the treatment to accommodate some of how that is manifesting (i.e. the symptoms) - for more on that read “treating the cause vs. the symptoms”.

In general our while shin splits are not arthritis - our acupuncture for arthritis page will get you close and then use some of the guiding points for knees and ankles possibly as well. Generally speaking in western terms shin splits are contributed to from tight calves, tight hamstrings and weaker interior muscles - as well as more obvious things such as other bone problems (osteoporosis, stress fractures, etc.) and/or quick increases in activity amounts, etc. - all of that should be accounted for. In Chinese Medicine terms nearly any diagnosis could apply - but commonly would be liver blood deficiency, spleen qi deficiency and/or kidney yin deficiency.