Phillip Newman developed an interest in shin splints while working for the military. Many soldiers and about one in three professional and amateur runners suffer from the condition, which causes pain in the lower leg and can put athletes out of action for months.

So when Mr Newman started studying at the University of Canberra he set about finding a treatment. He said shockwave therapy was being used as an effective treatment for tendon injuries in feet and shoulders, so it might be the answer to shin splints, too.

Shockwave therapy worked by sending sound waves into the leg, prompting a healing reaction in the bone. ''It's an irritant, so it stimulates the cells to enter their healing phase,'' he said.

''There are a number of conditions, and this is one of them, where the healing process seems to have stalled, it's burnt itself out, so the sound waves tend to restart that healing process.''

The treatment team would hold a cylindrical instrument at the site of the tenderness and adjust the level of intensity if the patient felt uncomfortable, he said. Other studies had shown it to be successful but they were carried out without a placebo, whereas his coming trial of 60 people would involve a more rigorous approach.

Any adult interested in being involved in the trial can email healthclinic@canberra.edu.au