Mickey Mantle played center field with shin splints, which also sidelined Justin Anderson, who had surgery to repair them when he was playing basketball for the Philadelphia 76ers.

But shin splints don't just happen to pro athletes. They come from overexercising, having too hard a footfall, having flat feet or high arches, wearing worn-out athletic shoes, being overweight, or having an inflexible lower body.

They are also a risk for the 35% of U.S. adults with a vitamin D deficiency, according to the Cleveland Clinic. In fact, they're so common that they account for 3 million U.S. healthcare visits annually.

What are shin splints? They're inflammation, pain, and tenderness of muscles, tendons, and fascia along or behind the tibia — the large bone that extends from your knee to your ankle.

Relief comes from staying off your sore leg, applying ice packs, doing recommended stretches and exercises, using topical pain relievers that contain capsaicin, CBD, or anti-inflammatories such as diclofenac, and wearing running/walking shoes with a stiff heel and good arch support.

As you find relief and are moving more, go slow. If you start with walking two miles total a day, add 10% more a week (another 400 steps) until you return to your before-injury level. And start on a well-padded treadmill, not on pavement or an oval track.