It’s incredibly valuable and important to be able to tell the difference between a stress fracture and shin splints, especially for athletes in season who are typical sufferers of both diagnoses. These injuries are often confused for each other and can lead to delayed healing and worse problems in the future if misdiagnosed.

The most important reason to understand the difference is because with shin splints, the athlete is often able to play through the injury if it is being treated properly, whereas with a stress fracture, a period of rest or immobilization is required to heal the injury.

Shin splints:
-Can play through it as long as it’s being treated properly
-Inflammation of muscles in shin region that sit next to and attach to Tibia
-Diffuse discomfort up and down the shin
-With activity: Diffuse pain up and down the shin bone, warm-up phenomenon, better with activity, worse when resting
-Bilateral typically

Stress Fx:
-Need to stop playing sports for a period of time
-Small crack typically in the shin bone, diagnosed by MRI or X-ray
-Focalized, small, specific area of pain
-With activity: worse with every step you take, better at rest or first thing in the morning, OR constant pain
-Unilateral typically

By understanding the signs and symptoms of each, it can help you make the decision to seek imaging (MRI/x-ray) of the area, or if it can be put off for a while.

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