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shin splints

American  

noun

(used with a plural verb)
  1. a painful condition of the front lower leg, associated with tendinitis, stress fractures, or muscle strain, often occurring as a result of running or other strenuous athletic activity, especially on a nonresilient surface.


shin splints British  

noun

  1. (functioning as singular or plural) a painful swelling of the front lower leg, associated with muscle or bone inflammation, and common among athletes and other sportspeople

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of shin splints

First recorded in 1940–45

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

In addition to the kind of pain Liem described, other signs of overexercise can include shin splints, tendinitis and stress fractures.

From Seattle Times Apr. 18, 2022

I keep getting shin splints or stress fractures.

From New York Times Mar. 6, 2022

She gets hurt on tour, suffering debilitating shin splints and tearing ligaments around an ankle.

From Washington Post Feb. 24, 2021

But if this is built up too quickly over-use injuries, such as shin splints or stress fractures, can occur.

From BBC Apr. 20, 2018

It’s hard to stay grumpy around Teddy, and I don’t have time to wallow about shin splints for the time being because keeping up with him takes every bit of my energy.

From "Keeping Pace" by Laurie Morrison

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