Michelle E. Kew, MD, sports medicine surgeon and Jordan D. Metzl, MD, sports medicine physician speak with The New York Times about what you need to know about shin splints. 

“Running is a pretty high-impact sport — it’s a lot of stress on the body,” said Dr. Kew. If you plan to increase the amount you’re training, she says, it’s best to build up slowly and to follow the guidance of a running club, coach or training plan.

Shin splints are an overuse injury. Many experts believe they are a result of inflammation in and around the muscles that pull on the tibia’s surface, or from damage to the bone. However, doctors don’t fully understand what causes them on a cellular level.

Pain from shin splints may be sharp or dull and it that may improve during a run at first, but it can linger as the injury worsens. “It’s like a toothache in your leg that doesn’t go away,” said Dr. Metzl. “The worse the ache, the more significant the problem.”

Read the full article at nytimes.com.