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Help with IT band syndrome
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Hi
I am suffering with IT band syndrome & looking for advice.
It began in March whilst I was training for a half marathon. I have seen a physio who diagnosed IT band syndrome and have done everything I am supposed to - rested, iced, stretched twice a day for 7 months & bought orthotics (on the physio's advice) to correct slight overpronation. I had managed to get back to running 20 minutes twice a week but there has been no improvement. It is now 10 days since I ran at all, and I am still suffering pain.
I am becoming demoralised & beginning to think it will never clear up, and really looking for some advice/support from other who have had the same problem. How long is this going to last & will I ever get over it? Any other suggestions for what else I can do?
Thanks!
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I made a picture. The red landing pattern causes ITBS because the IT band overstretches and rubs against the bone. My proposal for technique change might be against the rules but it worked for me.
I'm sorry for misspelling. And by the way I do want to hear from anyone who knows more about ITBS
I worked out how it started ...for me I ramped up my mileage too quickly and bought the wrong new pair of shoes. The effect was constant discomfort and I would get a sudden, intense pain at exactly the same distance - about a mile. Then it came on after shorter and shorter distances.
I then started getting painful/stuck feeling at night which would wake me up.. Then I realized that I needed professional help ....
Physio and gate analysis (another new pair of shoes) leading to the following ...
Rested completely ( 1 month ) until the pain was completely gone.
Stretching pelvis / cross leg / and thighs.
changed running style to a more natural (front foot) approach- lots about this on youtube.
Very gentle start and incremental increases in distance.
I also tried omega3 oil and glucosamine tablets (no idea if they helped but I was desperate for anything that helps)
...so far so good ...up to about 15 miles per week.
For me slight tightness in my thigh is a leading indicator that I am pushing too hard, so I do stretches and don't push the milage.
hope this helps ...
Plods, i recognise all of those things, i had firt ITBS case abt 18mnths ago, when i too ramped up the miles. it was in cold weather so i wasnt sure at first if the stiffness and pain were due to cramp and cold in my joint. same happened to me , it would come on at same point and gradually i could run less and less distance without pain. i changed my trainers and had to biuld up my mileage gradually again but it improved and vanished after abt 3 months. i thn ramped up the mileage again in april/may this year for a HM , i was doing too much and doing HM distance every weekend. i did the HM in july without problems but by august i was having the same problem back again, reaching only 5 miles and being in pain. i got through another HM end of sept but struggled the last 3 miles considerably in pain as it stiffened up. i had gait analysis-i over pronate badly on my right -i have new trainers (nike lunarglide) and with stretching everyday i have seen improvement over the past 3/4 weeks. i too believe gait /footfall has a lot to do with it and im trying to work on forefoot strike which takes the pressure off my outer knee.
mtbr.dot..your diagram is interesting too..i find if i run trying to keep footfall either side of the white line on the road it helps too, like you say , not crossing the midline....if anyone has any other tips id be grateful!!
Thanks for all your replies!
I've recently had IT band issues with the pain right at the top of the iliac crest (not so common but same problem).
I use a foam roller at least 3 times a day and also exercises to strengthen the quads to help keep the alignment correct (I have pre-arthritic changes in my knee....) I also alternated heat/ice etc as other say and stretching regurlarly and use orthotics! I would suggest foamies though!
It's much better now and I completed the GSR last month and am due to do a HM next weekend. I still find it niggly at times (going upstairs I can feel it sometimes), but nothing like it was, but it took at least 6 weeks until I felt any improvement.
I did a gait analysis, and feel that barefoot/minimal is the way forward for me but that's an individual's point of view. But it seems that forefoot striking seems to be beneficial? I also take glucosamine etc but not sure if they are effective or not...
Good luck and keep positive!
Like a previous poster on this thread I was tempted to jack it all in as physio fees were starting to mount, but I'm prepared to give it everything to try and get rid of this.
Any hints/tips please? How long I should rest up for? Exercises?
Thanks in advance
Nikki's right that you can't stretch the ITB, but it's an odd bit of fascia in that it doesn't attach to bone at the top, it attaches right into the glutes (buttock muscles). So when you have ITBS, you often have trigger points (painful and tight spots) in the glutes which do respond really well to massage - try a spiky massage ball, which you can get from Amazon or Physiosupplies etc. ITBS sufferers often have weak or uncoordinated glutes as well - see if you can easily contract your left and right buttock muscles alternately (not together!) and if you can't, then practise!
The ITB also responds well to massage or foam rollering, and gait analysis can help if there are underlying biomechanical issues. Some people get on really well with barefoot trainers and others need more cushioning or support.
In my practice I also find that ITBS sufferers often have pelvic issues (asymmetry, usually) which responds to mobilisation treatment.
I have been running lots of miles without any real issues (40 miles per week), but last week I (foolishly!) cranked up mileage with long back to back runs(I have my first ever Ultra Marathon in Feb!)This resulted in a sore knee!
Suspect ITB to over training. I have been icing it, rested totally, and it's only a small pain (4 days later). I am seeing a podiatrist and taking glucosime too!
Am worried as I have quite a lot of training to do. I intend to be idle until there is no pain, but for how long? - I do need to crack on soon.
Should I be really worried about this? Am taking all the really great advice on board here, and any words of wisdom will be really appreciated!
Thanks nellmead, spiky ball sounds good - I shall try the buttock thing - when I'm at home - might get some odd looks from my colleagues!
Susie - I'm not an expert but I'd be cautious before running too much - overtraining is definitely at the root of my itbs & I've been struggling since march. I have an appointment with orthopaedic specialist next week - if he can't offer me a solution I'm not sure what my next move will be
It was defiantly over training that did it.
The podiatrist gave me some really good advice, and I am on rest, icing and doing some specific glute/quad exercises to help. He also said it was likely to be bursitis too. (friction injury, ouch!) I am also looking not to do any daily back to back running.
The foam rollering seems to have cleared up any twinges, although I am not going to run far until I am certain the injury is gone.
K strapping is also something I was advised to try (in small runs first) - here is hoping all of this and enough rest works.
I really hope the orthopaedic specialist works out. Let me know how you get on. I too am running Edinburgh! Hope we both make it to the start & finish line!
Louise, have you had your feet and pelvis looked at properly? Having worked with both quite extensively, and if you're sure you've exhausted the physiotherapy and podiatry options, my instinct would be to see a consultant in sports medicine or rehabilitation before going down the orthopaedic route for ITBS.
I agree that spiky ball and foam roller aren't the total solution for everyone (if they were, I'd be out of work as a physio specialising in sports injuries!) but they're a good starting point and will sort things out for a lot of people.
Good luck!
I'm starting to think that if ITB pain comes on without you being able to pin it down to something particular such as
then it's quite likely you've got some kind of a knot/trigger point in your muscles (TFL/glutes). I'd rollered down my legs quite a lot but for me what helped - and my leg cerainly does feel looser now - was on the very top of my leg, slightly to the outside. I have got a foam roller but it's a bit easy to miss some places with something that size - try also using a tennis ball or something like a rolling pin or a dumbell without the weights.
I reckon all the other things are valid too, I'm just saying if you've been running quite a lot recently without problems then your form/glute strength etc presumably won't have changed that much.