Editing Shin splints (section)

==Diagnosis==
[[File:Shinsplint-mri.jpg|thumb|150px|[[Magnetic resonance image]] of the lower leg in the [[coronal plane]] showing high signal (bright) areas around the tibia as signs of shin splints.]]
Shin splints are generally diagnosed from a history and [[physical examination]].<ref name=Stat2019/> The important factors on history are the location of pain, what triggers the pain, and the absence of cramping or numbness.<ref name=Stat2019/>

On physical examination, gentle pressure over the tibia will recreate the type of pain experienced.<ref name=Moen2009/><ref name=AFP2011>{{Cite journal|last1=Patel|first1=Deepak S.|first2=Matt |last2=Roth |first3=Neha |last3=Kapil |year=2011|title=Stress fractures: diagnosis, treatment, and prevention|journal=American Family Physician |volume=83|issue=1|pages=39–46|pmid=21888126 |s2cid=1736230|url=https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/88f1/b393118138d72106901d0a3a5dd2984662f5.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190212011833/https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/88f1/b393118138d72106901d0a3a5dd2984662f5.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-date=12 February 2019}}</ref> Generally more than a 5 cm length of tibia is involved.<ref name=Moen2009>{{cite journal |last1=Moen |first1=MH |last2=Tol |first2=JL |last3=Weir |first3=A |last4=Steunebrink |first4=M |last5=De Winter |first5=TC |title=Medial tibial stress syndrome: a critical review. |journal=Sports Medicine (Auckland, N.Z.) |date=2009 |volume=39 |issue=7 |pages=523–546 |doi=10.2165/00007256-200939070-00002 |pmid=19530750|s2cid=40720414 }}</ref> Swelling, redness, or poor pulses in addition to the symptoms of shin splints indicate a different underlying cause.<ref name=Stat2019/>

===Differential diagnosis===
Other potential causes include [[stress fractures]], [[compartment syndrome]], [[nerve entrapment]], and [[popliteal artery entrapment syndrome]].<ref name=AFP2011/> If the cause is unclear, medical imaging such as a [[bone scan]] or [[magnetic resonance imaging]] (MRI) may be performed.<ref name=Stat2019/> Bone scans and MRI can differentiate between stress fractures and shin splints.<ref name=Moen2009 />