Overuse injuries took Rafael Nadal out of this year’s French Open and his return to Grand Slam tennis is only now underway, over three months later. Although Nadal was suffering from tendinitis in his knees, another common and painful overuse injury affecting tennis players is shin splints.

The term shin splints, or medial tibial stress syndrome, refers to the pain that runs along the tibia, the shin bone. Shin splints usually develop after vigorous physical activity. Excessive or repetitive activity causes inflammation of the muscles, tendons, and tissue covering the bone, causing pain. ...