Shin splints are very common in athletic people. It is an injury that is caused by repetitive force during running or dancing routines. When I treat this type of injury, I first assess a patient’s hip muscles, quads, gluts, hamstrings and calf muscles before needling the affected area with local acupuncture points and motor points. Shin splints can happen either on the outside or inner side of the shin bone. Note that if your shin splints don’t get any better after a few sessions of acupuncture, see your doctor for potential stress fracture (small cracks in the bone).