Performing a proper warm up before exercising can help prevent shin splints. A physical therapist can teach you proper exercises for warming up your leg muscles in order to prevent the pain from shin splints.
Just as people walk differently, people run differently. An abnormal running style can cause increased stress through your muscles and joints and can cause pain such as shin splints. Abnormal running style can be caused by tight muscles or weak muscles anywhere in the body and can also be caused by unsupportive shoes. To make sure that shin splint pain does not continually bother you after you exercise, a physical therapist can assess your muscles, your shoes, and the way that you run, and if necessary teach you how to correct these problems.