These are the most common symptoms of shin splints: Pain felt on the front and outside of the shin. It's first felt when the heel touches the ground during running. In time, pain becomes constant and the shin is painful to the touch.

Do shin splints hurt when you press on them?

As a rule, shin splints feel like a nagging pain, concentrated in the front of your leg along the tibia. Pain is usually experienced during and after exercise, and when you press on the area.

What exactly do shin splints feel like?

If you have shin splints, you might notice tenderness, soreness or pain along the inner side of your shinbone and mild swelling in your lower leg. At first, the pain might stop when you stop exercising. Eventually, however, the pain can be continuous and might progress to a stress reaction or stress fracture.