A stress fracture of the lower leg in the area of the shin is generally considered an overuse injury. These stress fractures are sometimes difficult to diagnose due to vague discomfort and generalized pain over the muscles of the lower leg and are often misdiagnosed as shin splints.
Shin stress fractures come on slowly over time from cumulative trauma to the muscles and bones, often due to overuse.
They occurs when muscles become fatigued or overloaded and can not absorb the stress or shock of repeated impacts. Fatigued lower leg muscles transfer that stress to the nearby bone and the result is a small crack or fracture in the bones of the lower leg.