The Shin Splints Solution – Assessment

Hi, I’m Pete Fry – a Movement Specialist from the UK – and I’ve been helping people get back to training after long-term injury and pain since 2014.

Below you’ll find one of the assessments I use with my clients that have Shin Splints.

The aim of this test is to assess your ability to balance on one leg without pronating the foot.

(Despite what you might have heard, foot pronation is not a bad thing – see the PDF in your inbox for a full explanation)

In the exercise below you’ll see I’ve placed a weight plate under my foot – this is to reduce foot pronation…

Instructions:

1. Place something under your foot to support your arch
Eg. a small weight plate, rolled up sock, or cushion.

2. Balance and hold one knee up high
This keeps the hip flexor contracted in a shortened position – a nice running-specific isometric strength exercise.

3. Rotate your arms and torso left and right
This further challenges your balance, in a more dynamic way than simply standing on one leg. 

The Test

How To Score Yourself

How many reps can you perform without losing balance?

✅ 8-10 reps (4-5x in each direction) – your balance is great and you can move on to the next test

❌ Less than 4 reps (2x each direction) – this is a good indication that you need to work on your single leg stability 

What The Assessment Shows

This assessment emphasises a few running-specific movements and positions…

✅ Head forwards
✅ Thoracic rotation
✅ Pelvis under rib cage (core engaged)
✅ Knee driven through
✅ Lower limb in tension

…all while simultaneously removing the midfoot (pronation) from the equation.

This exercise is a great example of how to train a running-specific skill to improve running biomechanics – a key part of resolving Shin Splints.

If you’ve found that calf raises, foam rolling, ice, and stretching haven’t helped your Shin Splints then working on running biomechanics combined with the right phased return to training is a great strategy.

And if you struggled with this test and want to get back to running pain-free, I recommend going through my Shin Splints program…

The Shin Splints Solution

I’ve created a short course called The Shin Splints Solution – an easy to follow program to help you get back to pain-free running in 12 weeks or less.

Inside, you’ll get:

✅ 6 running-specific exercises to improve foot, ankle and running biomechanics and eliminate Shin Splints 

✅ A clear explanation of running biomechanics and how each movement specifically targets common limitations

✅ Short video demonstrations showing execution with zoomed-in foot detail view

✅ A return-to-running framework to get you back to running pain-free in 12 weeks or less