Pain in One Shin Symptoms, Causes & Common Questions
Understand pain in one shin symptoms, including 5 causes & common questions.
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Reviewed by Buoy Medical Review Team
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Contents
5 Possible Pain In One Shin Causes
The list below shows results from the use of our quiz by Buoy users who experienced pain in one shin. This list does not constitute medical advice and may not accurately represent what you have.
Shin splints (medial tibial stress syndrome)
Shin splints is when there is pain in the front part of the lower leg. The pain is from the swelling of the muscles, tendons, and bone tissue around your shin.
Rarity: Common
Top Symptoms: shin pain, dull, achy shin pain, pain in the inside of the shin, shin pain from overuse, irregular period
Symptoms that always occur with shin splints (medial tibial stress syndrome): shin pain
Urgency: Self-treatment
Tibial stress fracture
A tibial stress fracture is a small crack in the shinbone (tibia). These fractures are most often a result of overuse and are commonly seen with an increase in activity. Usually stress fractures of the shinbone occur in the lower third of the bone.
Rarity: Rare
Top Symptoms: shin pain, dull, achy shin pain, moderate shin pain, pain in the inside of the shin, pain when pressing on the shin
Symptoms that always occur with tibial stress fracture: dull, achy shin pain
Urgency: Primary care doctor
Pain In One Shin Symptom Checker
Take a quiz to find out what might be causing your pain in one shin
Shin bruise
A bruise is the damage of the blood vessels that return blood to the heart (the capillaries and veins), which causes pooling of the blood. This explains the blue/purple color of most bruises. Bruises of the shin are common given the location of the shin.
Rarity: Uncommon
Top Symptoms: shin pain from an injury, shin injury, pain in one shin, shin swelling, shin bruise
Symptoms that always occur with shin bruise: shin injury, shin pain from an injury
Urgency: Self-treatment
Fibular stress fracture
The fibula is the smaller shin bone which lies on the outer part of the lower leg. With excessive, repeated stress, a small fracture (called a stress fracture) can occur.
Rarity: Rare
Top Symptoms: foot numbness, pain in the outside of the knee, lower leg numbness, shin pain, pain in one shin
Symptoms that always occur with fibular stress fracture: pain in the outside of the shin, pain in one shin
Symptoms that never occur with fibular stress fracture: pain in both feet, pain in one foot, pain in the inside of the shin, swelling in both shins
Urgency: Primary care doctor
Ewing sarcoma
Ewing sarcoma is a type of bone cancer often affecting the legs, pelvis, ribs, arms or spine. It can occur anytime during childhood and young adulthood; it is rarely seen in adults.
Rarity: Ultra rare
Top Symptoms: fatigue, loss of appetite, new headache, fever, rib pain
Urgency: Primary care doctor
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Questions Your Doctor May Ask About Pain In One Shin
To diagnose this condition, your doctor would likely ask the following questions:
- Where is your shin pain exactly?
- Does running make your symptoms worse?
- Is your pain worse when jumping in place or standing on your tiptoes?
- Do you run for exercise or sport?
If you've answered yes to one or more of these questions
Pain In One Shin Symptom Checker
Take a quiz to find out what might be causing your pain in one shin
Pain In One Shin Symptom Checker Statistics
People who have experienced pain in one shin have also experienced:
- 6% Swollen Lower Leg
- 6% Shin Lump
- 4% Swelling In One Lower Leg
People who have experienced pain in one shin were most often matched with:
- 60% Tibial Stress Fracture
- 20% Shin Splints (Medial Tibial Stress Syndrome)
- 20% Shin Bruise
People who have experienced pain in one shin had symptoms persist for:
- 29% Less than a week
- 25% Over a month
- 22% Less than a day
Source: Aggregated and anonymized results from Buoy Assistant (a.k.a. the quiz).
Pain In One Shin Symptom Checker
Take a quiz to find out what might be causing your pain in one shin
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