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The Daily Insight

Does rolling your shins work?

Author

Rachel Newton

Updated on March 13, 2026

The idea is that rolling a glass bottle up and down your shin makes 'deadens the nerves' to make you able to take more pain. Truth is, it doesn't, and it hurts way more than it sounds like it should.

Herein, is rolling your shins bad?

Rolling shins is bad training. It's a very gradual change, but kicking heavy bags and/or heavier Thai pads over years and years will slowly condition your shins without the risk of injury that rolling or tapping them can have. Its its its a myth!

Similarly, what does Shin Rolling do? A foam roller can help reduce inflammation and may alleviate shin splint pain.

Then, are you supposed to kick with your shin?

In general, a kick with the foot will land with the instep near the ankle joint (not near the toes). The shin is a harder surface and also sharper so more likely to cut. It is thus a better surface for kicking harder surfaces and should be used for leg kicks (kicking a checking shin with your foot really hurts).

Does hitting your shins make them stronger?

Yes. Drag the stick up n down your shin while pushing into your shin as hard as you can handle. Your aim is to not only create scar tissue but to damage your actual shin bone so it can then repair itself making it thicker and stronger than before.

Related Question Answers

Should you massage shin splints?

Shin Splints Massage

At first you might feel some soreness around your shinbone or light swelling and tenderness in your lower leg. The pain might appear during exercise, afterwards, or it might be constant. No matter when you're affected by shin splints, massage can help.

Can you harden your shins?

To get rock hard shins, you'll need to kick a bag thousands of times as hard as you can, repeatedly. Although it may take years, there's no time like now to start working on conditioning your shins. Eventually, the repeated motion will toughen your shins, allowing you to kick more and with greater intensity.

Why does the accountant roll his shins?

In Thai martial arts, they might roll bottles or sticks on their shins because you develop scar tissue. It develops so much scar tissue and deadens all the nerves that you can fight. It comes out of martial arts, and that's something that's another part of who Chris is and what he does. He drills himself.

Does skipping help shin splints?

Warm up, jump on softer surfaces and start by jumping rope 2-3 times each week and you'll prevent against shin splints.

Does biofreeze help with shin splints?

Rolling of the lateral shin musculature can help warm tissues and enhance the healing process. Using Biofreeze can help with discomfort and enhance the healing process.

Why do my shins hurt when I jump rope?

Shin splints are inflammation in the muscles and tendons along the front of your shin bone, your tibia. They're completely normal and in fact up to a third of people experience them at some point when participating in some form of intense exercise such as jump rope, especially when starting out for the first time.

Do shin kicks hurt?

Shin on shin contact will always hurt in equal sized combat, fighters just hide it during the fight. If you have very heavy kicks and fighting somebody 50LB lighter they can check all they want; your force will hurt them a lot more when it's shin on shin.

What part of your leg should you kick with?

A Thai kick will hit with the shin. The important thing to remember however, is which part of the leg you should NOT hit with: The top of your foot. That's a good way to break all those little bones in your toes, foot proper, and ankle. Especially kicking something hard like the head.

How do Muay Thai shins heal?

If your shins are really swollen, IBUProfen or Advil has been known to help pretty quickly. Elevate. Lay down and keep your shins above your heart to reduce swelling in the shins. Tiger balm, a topical pomade made from camphor and menthol has also risen to become a Muay Thai “cult classic”.

What part of your foot should you kick with?

The most common front kick is a snap kick using the ball of foot with toes up for contact. The contact point for a side kick should be side of foot close to the ankle to prevent ankle injury.

How hard can a Muay Thai fighter kick?

How powerful is a muay thai round kick? One website states that a Muay Thai roundhouse kick transfers energy about on par with the kinetic energy of a strike from a baseball bat-480 lbs of force per strike[1]-and a video (which actually shows a variety of kicking styles) attributes 1400-2300 lbs to various kicks[2].

How do you kick a fight?

Bring your leg up into the chamber position and extend your leg to kick. Hold the kick fully extended for 5 seconds. Then retract your leg and lower it back into your fighting stance. Repeat this motion for all the kicks you know.

What part do you kick with?

Body/Leg kicks should be with the shin, although I usually connect with the lower third of my shin. For inside leg kicks, I usually land with my instep becasue the shin is really hard to land right in that area. For head kicks, I think that the insteap/top of the foot is used most often.

How do you stretch out your shins?

To stretch the tibialis anterior muscle in your shin, begin by standing up straight and bending both knees slightly. One foot should remain on the ground while the other foot curls. The curled foot's toes should press against the floor. Hold for 15 to 30 seconds before switching to the other foot.

What actually is shin splints?

The term "shin splints" refers to pain along the shin bone (tibia) — the large bone in the front of your lower leg. Shin splints are common in runners, dancers and military recruits.

How long do shin splints take to heal?

After 2 to 4 weeks, if the pain is gone, you can start your usual activities. Increase your activity level slowly. If the pain returns, stop exercising right away. Know that shin splints can take 3 to 6 months to heal.

How do I stop getting shin splints?

8 Tips to Prevent Shin Splints
  1. Stretch your calves and hamstrings.
  2. Avoid sudden increases in physical activity.
  3. Exercise on softer surfaces when possible.
  4. Strengthen your foot and the arch of your foot.
  5. Strengthen your hip muscles.
  6. Buy new athletic shoes that are right for you.
  7. Stay at a healthy body weight.

Do compression sleeves help shin splints?

By compressing your calves and shins, compression sleeves increase oxygen and blood flow to the areas most susceptible to shin splints and related injuries. The boost in circulation helps improve muscular endurance, increase muscle efficiency, and aid in pain relief.

What stretches to do to prevent shin splints?

4 Warm-Up Stretches to Avoid Shin Splints
  1. Calf Raises. Stand on a step with your feet hip-width apart.
  2. Hip Rotations. Start by standing and bringing one knee in toward your chest, grabbing your shin with your hand.
  3. Lateral Side-to-Side Lunges. Start by standing with your feet together.
  4. Air Squats.
  5. Other Ways to Avoid Shin Splints.

Why is my shin bone bumpy?

There are stresses being placed on the shin bone, which is the tibia. If you have shin splints and you run your finger along the tibia, you will feel lots of bumps. These are there for a reason. You could have flat feet or high arches that are affecting the shin, you could have weak hips which affects the shins.

Can you rebuild bone density?

While you can never regain the bone density you had in your youth, you can help prevent rapidly thinning bones, even after your diagnosis.

Does hitting bones make them stronger?

And even then, it's about consistent force over years of training, not "hitting harder" and trying to destroy objects as place where you see benefit. Otherwise, just go with resistance training. Yes, hitting objects does make your bones more solid. Impact (hitting) will cause the density of the bones to increase.

How often should I condition my shins?

Try to kick a heavy bag at least 2 or 3 times a week for best results, and leave at least one day between sessions to allow for rest and recovery. This may seem a bit simple, but it's the most widely used and effective way of conditioning your shins.

How do you condition a shin without a heavy bag?

Start banging on your shins. Or, you could take that rattan stick and roll it on your shins instead. Easiest way though is to kick someone and have him block it over and over. If you don't have a bag, just spar.