Half Marathon next week and my it band has flared up

Hi There,

 

Thought i would ask on here for advice, i have been training for the Brighton half marathon next Sunday.

I have been following a Lucozade training plan, i had some it band pain last summer but it was minor and went away pretty quickly.

 

Last night i did a 10 mile run and at about mile 6 the outside of my knee became so painful, i have done 10 miles a few times over the last few weeks with no pain at all.

 

I am now very worried that this will affect my half marathon and ruin all the hard work and training i have put in, i have a it band strap that i can wear but does anyone else have any advice.

 

It hurts alot this morning.

 

Matt

Comments

  • I have been struggling on and off with this for the past year... still having completed a few marathons and ultras gritting through the pain (not recommended!). At home, lots of stretching and massaging (ie. foam roller or a large water bottle... or even a small medicine ball if you have access to one at your local gym) cna provide temporary relief. I won't even try to describe these exercise, but if you google IT band foam roller, or something like that, you should get good descriptions/images.

    The key is to massage and stretch all the way from the very top of your leg (where the band inserts), all the way down to your knee, not only in the painful area. Stretching all your outer leg muscles (including buttocks), as well as your quads, can provide temporary relief. If you are able to get to a physio, they can help with more intense stretching and massaging (and sometimes even ultrasound or laser therapy in the knee area to help with inflamation in the knee caused by the rubbing of the IT band).

    I also use KT/Kinesio tape for races or dureing bad flare-ups; you can google how to apply it for IT band injuries. It may be all in my head, but I swear by it, it relieves much discomfort and prevents pain.

    For preventative measures, strengthening the glutes and abductors can often help with alignment, which decreases the rubbing of the IT band on the outside of your knee. But a physio can assess if this is true for you. Sometimes it is due to overtraining....

    Also, ice and ibuprofen to reduce swelling in the knee area. Another temporary option.

    Hope some of that is useful to your situation!

  • Thanks for the reply, i have a foam roller so i will be doing alot of stretching this coming week and only have small runs to do between now and next sunday.

     

    I just want to feel relaxed on race day and not be worrying about this happening image

  • I put a post on last week describing how I solved my lower ITB issue;

    http://www.runnersworld.co.uk/forum/health--injury/useful-info-about-how-i-have-solved-lower-itb-pain/240096.html

    Hope some of the steps that I have taken can also help you. Good luck!

  • Hi Guys,

    Thanks for all the advice, i did alot of foam roller work and had some rest from running. Took plenty of ibuprofen.

    Did the half marathon yesterday and ended up doing it in 1hr56mins, i was concious of my knee and wore a it band strap that seemed to stabilize it.

    Overall im happy i did it in under 2hrs but im also annoyed as i know my knee held me back a bit.

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