Return · shin splints
Return to running after shin splints, phase by phase.
Only one trial has tested a stage-by-stage return to running after shin splints: six phases, from run-walk on a treadmill to 18 minutes of continuous running on the road. Here is how it works, and what it does not say.
The Pantari team · Published on 9 October 2026. Reviewed on 9 October 2026. · 7 min read · How we write
What follows applies once a health professional has cleared you to return.
In short
- Shin splints are the second most common injury in runners: 9% of the injuries counted in a 2021 review.
- The Moen trial (2012) brings running back in six phases, three sessions a week, from run-walk to 18 minutes continuous.
- Discomfort decides: a session that goes well moves you on; discomfort that rises, right after or the next day, keeps you where you are.
- Adding calf exercises or a compression sock did not shorten the return in this trial.
- Think in months rather than weeks: a little over three months on average, with wide differences.
What the Moen trial says
In 2012, Moen and colleagues followed 74 Dutch athletes who had had shin splints for more than three weeks. All of them went back to running with the same six-phase programme; one group also did calf exercises at home, another wore a compression sock.
At the start, a treadmill test placed each athlete in the phase matching what they could already run. Then three sessions a week, with a rest day in between.
| Phase | Session | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Treadmill: 2 min running at 10 km/h, 2 min walking, 4 times | 16 min |
| 2 | Treadmill: the same, running at 12 km/h | 16 min |
| 3 | Road: 3 min easy running, 2 min walking, 4 times | 20 min |
| 4 | Road: the same, running a little harder | 20 min |
| 5 | Road: continuous running, easy | 16 min |
| 6 | Road: continuous running, at a pace where talking gets hard | 18 min |
Easy: you can talk while running. This is a study’s ladder, described so you understand it, not a programme to follow on your own.
The rule for moving on fits in two sentences. A session finished with low discomfort moves you to the next phase. Discomfort that rises right after the run or the next day keeps you in the same phase, with two minutes less running. The exact discomfort threshold depends on your return: the app applies it for you, with the next-day check.
What the trial does not say: there was no resting group, because the doctors would not leave athletes without running. So we do not know whether returning this way beats resting. We know these athletes were able to return by running, with discomfort as their guide.
A 2013 review (Winters and colleagues) found no approach whose effect is shown by good-quality studies. Its authors lean towards a few days of reduced load, then load increased step by step: the logic of the Moen ladder.
Strength work, without expecting miracles
In the Moen trial, the group doing calf exercises did not return faster than the others. Strength work remains common practice to get the leg used to load, but no study puts a number on its benefit for this return. Here are four exercises the app offers in a return after shin splints, from gentlest to most demanding.
Calf raise, hold at the top
You rise slowly onto your tiptoes and hold at the top, on both legs. It is the first step towards real calf strength work, with no impact.
How to do it
- Stand with your feet parallel, hip-width apart.
- Rise slowly onto your tiptoes over 2-3 seconds.
- Hold the position at the top for the planned time.
- Lower back down slowly, without jerking.
- Rest your heels completely before starting again.
Common mistakes
- Rising too quickly, by bouncing.
- Losing your balance forwards or backwards.
- Not lowering all the way down between repetitions.
When to stop
Calf fatigue is normal at the end of a set. We advise you to stop the set if discomfort goes above your programme's threshold or if it persists abnormally the following morning.
Sets and reps: the app sets them from your stage.
C Common practice: no study has tested this exact exercise. Source : van der Vlist A.C. et al., Br J Sports Med, 2019;53(21):1352-1361
Calf wall isometric, bent knee
Same principle as against the wall, but with slightly bent knees to protect the tendon insertion area near the heel. Always on flat ground, without ever letting your heel drop lower than your forefoot.
How to do it
- Stand facing a wall, feet flat on the floor.
- Slightly bend both knees, keeping your heels on the floor.
- Push your hands against the wall while contracting your calves.
- Hold the position without letting your heel drop lower than your forefoot.
- Gently release between sets.
Common mistakes
- Dropping your heel below the level of your foot.
- Trying to stretch your calf during the exercise.
- Bending your knees too much, losing tension in the calves.
When to stop
A light tension is expected. We advise you to stop the set if discomfort goes above your programme's threshold or if your heel becomes more sensitive the next morning.
Sets and reps: the app sets them from your stage.
C Common practice: no study has tested this exact exercise. Source : Zhi X. et al., J Orthop Surg Res, 2021;16(1)
Single-leg balance hold with light support
Stand on one leg, lightly touching a wall or chair with your fingertips for reassurance. This is the gentle transition towards full single-leg balance.
How to do it
- Stand next to a wall or a stable chair.
- Lift one foot off the floor, keeping your knee slightly bent.
- Touch the support with your fingertips, without actually leaning on it.
- Stay steady on your standing leg for the planned time.
- Switch legs and repeat.
Common mistakes
- Leaning heavily on your hand instead of using it purely as a guide.
- Locking the knee of your standing leg.
- Looking down at your feet instead of fixing your eyes on a point ahead.
When to stop
Small wobbles of the foot are normal. We recommend stopping the set if shin discomfort appears or increases during the exercise or the next morning; this is a good decision, not a setback. If balancing on one leg is not yet comfortable, even while touching the wall, stick to two feet for a while.
Sets and reps: the app sets them from your stage.
C Common practice: no study has tested this exact exercise. Source : Onate J.A. et al., Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine, 2016;26(6):435-444 · Herman K. et al., BMC Med, 2012;10(1)
Single-leg calf raise
You rise onto the toes of one foot, slowly, controlling the descent. This is an important step towards the strength needed for running.
How to do it
- Balance on one leg, with the other slightly bent in front or behind.
- Rise onto the toes of your supporting foot over 2 seconds.
- Hold for a moment at the top.
- Lower back down over 3 seconds, keeping good control.
- Switch legs after the full set.
Common mistakes
- Catching yourself on the other leg during the set.
- Dropping down too quickly without control.
- Leaning your torso to compensate for balance.
When to stop
Marked calf fatigue at the end of a set is normal. We recommend stopping the set if discomfort goes above your programme's threshold, or if it feels stronger the next morning.
Sets and reps: the app sets them from your stage.
C Common practice: no study has tested this exact exercise. Source : van der Vlist A.C. et al., Br J Sports Med, 2019;53(21):1352-1361
How long to expect
In the Moen trial, it took 102 to 118 days on average, depending on the group, to go from joining the study to 18 minutes of continuous running, with wide differences from one athlete to the next. One in five did not finish, for lack of progress.
These figures describe a group, not your leg: they do not predict your return. That is why Pantari never gives you a date, only rough guides in ranges of weeks, recalculated after every session.
What Pantari does for you
In Pantari, the return after shin splints follows the six Moen phases. Without a treadmill, the trial’s speed becomes a pace: easy, then a little harder.
After every session, your discomfort during the run and when you wake up the next morning decides what comes next: you move up, you hold, or you step back a notch, and the app tells you why. Strength exercises are picked for your area and your stage. You can always turn down a piece of advice, except after a warning sign.
Coming soonCommon questions
- Can I keep running with shin splints?
- A health professional should tell you. In the Moen trial, every athlete ran, but in small steps that grew with their discomfort, during the run and the next day. The warning signs above, though, mean stopping and seeing a professional.
- Should I stop running completely?
- No study settles it: the Moen trial had no resting group. The Winters review (2013) mentions a few days of reduced load, then a gradual return. When you start again is decided with your doctor or physio.
- Does calf strengthening speed up the return?
- In the Moen trial, no: the group doing calf exercises took as long as the others. Strength work is still common to prepare the leg for load; no study puts a number on its effect for this return.
- Which surface should I return on?
- The trial started on a treadmill, then moved to the road. No study compares surfaces for this return. Pantari uses the phases with a pace rather than a speed, on whatever surface you have.
Studies cited
- Moen M. H. et al., Sports Medicine, Arthroscopy, Rehabilitation, Therapy & Technology, 2012. Randomised trial, 74 athletes: a six-phase running programme, alone, with calf exercises or with a compression sock. No difference in time between groups; no resting group.
- Winters M. et al., Sports Medicine, 2013. Systematic review: no approach is shown by good-quality studies; reduced load, then increased step by step, seems the most reasonable.
- Kakouris N. et al., Journal of Sport and Health Science, 2021. Systematic review of running injuries: medial tibial stress syndrome (shin splints) accounts for 9.1%, in second place.
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