Physical Therapists, could use some shin splint help.?

Well I'm not a physical therapist but I've had bad shin splints for a long time, I did the same thing you did, I iced and switched to softer surface nothing changed(well I have overpronation which causes them for me but you don't have to worry about that) you get shin splints mainly due to the specific muscle(depending on where your shin splints are) is very weak and needs to be strengthened. I don't know where your shin splitns are so I can't tell you what specific exercises you can do to strengthen them, i'd suggest you look on internet for exercises(for that particular area)

They very often come from pushing off too much from the forefoot rather than running primarily from your hips/core, or even just not adequately relaxing the ankle region during running. They also can be one of those thing where once they start, someone braces a little more in an attempt to minimize pain but the problem is actually made worse than if the region was consciously relaxed contrary to instinctive response.

Anyway, I might still look into form issues. In addition, if you did well running barefoot, you might actually look into shoes like the Nike Free line (or the Nike Lunar Trainers, made from the same last), though this would be essentially the opposite of increasing shoe stability. As long as overpronation isn't the cause, finding shoes that stay out of your way can often help more than shoes that throw more stability, etc., into the picture and intefere with what your foot wants to do naturally. Things like the Frees are supposed to be the closest thing possible to barefoot running when you're not on clean trimmed grass, etc., where you can actually do it. The Lunar Trainers -- quite similar to the Free but with unique cushioning -- are more recent in design and materials and actually quite popular. You might well want to at least try them in a store somewhere if barefoot went over well.

You really need to read "Stop Shin Splints" by Gary Buchenic (also available in electronic format here: http://www.shinsplintscure.org/ ). It's about how to permanently cure your shin splints naturally. Worked for me and for thousands of people. Good luck!