IT pain Need HELP (Read 873 times)

This problem really has me down right now!!! Makes me wonder about the '08 HM a lot!!! The IBTS showed up last year during the walk of the Mini but as I at that time was a non runner I had no clue what it was. Then when I took up running it would flair up but over time the distances for the flair up was longer and longer. Now it starts at between 4 and 5 miles. So any advise is most welcomed!!!

I will tell you what my physical therapist told me (I was in PT for my ITB earlier this year). Generally, once you have it, it never completely goes away. But, you can mitigate the problems. You need to do some stretching and strengthening for it. I was doing alot of squats and other stuff, and stretching it every day. Also, get a foam roller, and roll out your ITB for a good 2 minutes or so. Hurts like hell, but it's worth it. A good stretch: Sit down, one leg straight out, the other bent. Cross the bent leg so the foot is on the opposite side of the straight leg's knee. Twist your body so your opposite arm is on the other side of the bent knee. You should feel the stretch from your butt.

Ed, From all I have heard I know the knee is not really the source of the pain. I know it is in the IT Band its self that the problem lies. And sadly I have not been serious enough about the stretchs or exercises to end the problem. You see within about 6 or 7 max hours after a run the pain is gone. This race got my attention!!! Doing some of the math on known splits our math guru figures I lost about 40 minutes over that last half of the course. That just pisses me off!! Time to get down to getting this under control

Hiya, Gregg: Being a contrary sorta guy, I'm going to toss out some contrary advice. First the disclaimer: I ain't a doctor, I ain't an expert, and it's your leg. Proceed with caution. If you're dumb enough to listen to the following, don't hold me responsible. Your own doc (assuming he knows running) is the guy to listen to. But here's the deal: when I look at your log, it seems like the last thing you need is rest. What I think you need is more running - not less. More cross-training, too. More lost weight. And, above all else, CONSISTENCY. In the last month, you've run 5 times: one short, one 5 miles, two 8-milers ... and now a half-marathon race. Frankly, I think anybody doing that would be hurting. If I were you, I'd abandon the racing for now. Rest up long enough for the ITB pain to subside. And then start on a steady, easy, *consistent* schedule. 4-5 days a week (actually, I'd run just about every day, but that might not be a good idea just yet). Maybe every other day, but at least that. I'd start at very low mileage - 3 miles a day, no more - and then very slowly build the mileage. Very. Slowly. All easy runs. Keep losing weight. Keep doing the stretches and strengthening exercises. Maybe include some non-impact cross-training on days off (biking? swimming?). Once your body adjusts, begin adding mileage. I'd spend the next 6 months working up a STEADY 20-25 miles a week (or so). Consistency and patience being the keys. No huge gaps between runs. And then in 6 months, see where you are. See if you're ready to throw in a long run, or start doing easy races, or some tempo runs. I just know that for me, the more I run, the less injured I am (within reason, of course.) I really am convinced that I'm far less injury prone at 50 mpw steady than at an inconsistent 20 mpw. And I'm pretty sure racing hard on basically no training, and running pretty long runs with no shorter runs in between, is going to lead to injury every time. I truly believe that consistency and patience are the keys. And not to sound like a smartass, but you're reminding me of that old joke about the guy who says "Doc, it hurts when I do this ..." and the doctor replies "don't do that!" If you know your ITB flares up at 4-5 miles ... for now, why push past 4 miles? At your current pace, a 4 mile run is enough time on your feet. (And its pretty easy to string together 20-30 miles a week on 4 mile runs). My 2 cents for what its worth. Whatever you do, good luck!

I found this book to be really helpful - good stretches that are easy to do Stretching Smarter You're tough - I know you can get it worked out - if you can swing it, massages help a lot during the acute phases, also using the stick

JK I think you are dead on. I have been so worried about that damned IT Band that I babied it and paid for it in the race. Thanks everyone for as JK put it giving me their "2 cents" It all adds up to something I can use. I really do love to run, even when it seems I hate it. Funny but I know everyone here understands that! In 2 weeks on the 19th I will start back running nice easy miles.

Really no hurry, man. One bad thing about this place is you can kinda feel pressure to rack up the miles. But the truth is that just a few miles a day, consistently, turns into pretty decent mileage pretty quick. Keep us posted. Be interesting to see how you do from here.

You can make it go away for good, but it takes some serious discipline. You need to rest -- for a long time. Maybe a couple months. No kidding. Otherwise it just keeps coming back. When you do start again, you need to be paranoid about it. At the first sign of pain, stop the run and back off your training. If you're running through any pain at all you're just adding to the inflamation. You need to stretch religiously, and do the various recommended exercises to strengthen your lateral muscles and your core. If you've never done something like yoga or martial arts before, you may really benefit from a gentle introductory class (aikido, tai chi, etc). Work on your form. Get a book like "Chi Running" by Danny Dreyer, which gives you exercises to work on. Have someone video you running and put some serious effort into correcting your bad habits. The bottom line is that you need to pursue the root cause of your pain. Don't focus on just your knee -- problems like this one often start elsewhere. The knee is just the symptom.

I had serious knee pain after my first marathon. After one year, I finally got smart and figured out the pain would not go away with just resting or cutting back mileage. I went to an acupunturist, then to an orthopedic just x-rays and he said to stop running -- that's no cure! Then, a triathlon friend recommended a bonesetter, alternative medicine where your joints are manipulated and realigned. In just 3 minutes, the bonesetter could give me a diagnosis. He said that the cause of my knee, groin pain was my bad posture and current running form. Like a baby, I was re-taught how to stand, walk and run all over again! The therapy took about 5 months. I still go see my bonesetter after I run marathons or when I am going through a slump to re-energize myself. The real cause of my knee pain came not from my knee itself, but from bad upper body posture and not using my inner muscles or core. Take a look at the Chi Running website. I recommend the "Chi Running" book & dvd highly! It will give you some very valuable tips about what proper running form should be and make running longer distances much more effortless. I cut 25 minutes off my last marathon time and am sure that my next marathon time will be even better.

I forgot to say that I thought I had IT band syndrome, and tried the stretching, resting and cutting down mileage, but it didn't work. That was when I realized that I need to do some more investigating and visited the acupunturist and orthpedic which didn't help and I ended up finding the bonesetter. One of the other causes of my soreness on the outside of my left knee was that I was pushing off with my toes when I ran and not with my mid-foot. So it was as if I was putting on the brakes with every running step. Also if you strike with your heels, that is not good either. Changing shoes would not have solved my problem. I had to learn how to change my running form. Check out Chi-Running. Also, you might not be able to run right now, but you can walk, bike or swim which is very good exercise.