shin splints

American

noun

(used with a plural verb)

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

(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.

A potential future major contender missing from this year's Wimbledon is 21-year-old American Sebastian Korda, who pulled out on Monday because of "terrible shin splints and beaten-up feet".

From BBC • Jun. 23, 2022

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

The result was a nasty case of shin splints.

From The Verge • Nov. 10, 2021

Their most common complaints are knee or hip problems, shin splints and plantar fasciitis, which causes sharp pain in the arch of the foot or heel.

From Washington Post • May 29, 2020

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

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023