Forums >Health and Nutrition>IT band pain - need some suggestions
Good morning!
A little background - I am 28 and ~100lbs. I have been running for about a year now. I have been working throughout the year to increase my mileage and distance without any injuries.
I registered for a 50K that is in February so i have been trying to push my long runs longer. Right before Thanksgiving I was going for my first 20 miler and decided that I would do a trail 30K just because. I knew it would be more elevation than I was used to but I had plenty of time and figured I wouldn't push it too hard. Well the first 8 miles or so were pretty much uphill but I was feeling fine. It was when the down hills came that my IT band went to crap. By mile 13 the down hills were excruciating. I had pain shooting from the outside of my left knee up to my hip. I managed a hike / shuffle to the end. I took a few days off and iced it and it seemed ok. For the first couple of weeks I could only run a few miles before I would feel pain or tightness in my knee and I could not run consecutive days. I finally decided to see an orthopedic doctor and he said he believed it was inflammation of the IT band and suggested that I continue icing and stretching and start pushing my mileage. According to him, I was not going to make the injury worse. It has been a few weeks now and I have been consistently working on hip strengthening and stretching and such but the pain is still there. Most of the time I can run and only feel tightness but then my knee will ache later in the day. I have done up to a 10 mile run since then and once again it didn't hurt during the run but it did later that evening. I took a day off and then ran again and could only do a few miles before feeling a twinge - i feel like i could have run further but I wasn't sure if I should keep going until it hurts or not. I'm starting to panic since by first 50K is only 6 weeks away and I really need to be getting in some longer runs.
Does anyone have advice for getting rid of IT band pain? Is it worth going to a physical therapist or getting a sports massage? Also - foam roll the IT band or no??? I just don't want to make something worse.
Sorry for the long post!
Waltons ThreadLord
I have suffered from IT pain and learned lots of stretches for the IT band, but the biggest tip I got was from a physical therapist. She told me to also stretch the groin muscles by doing splits and butterflies. Once I added those stretches to my post-run routine, the IT band issues started going away. It still took 4 - 6 weeks to clear up completely, but eventually it did.
5k 23:48.45 (3/22); 4M 31:26 (2/22); 5M 38:55 (11/23); 10k 49:24 (10/22); 10M 1:29:33 (2/24); Half 1:48:32 (10/22); Marathon 4:29:58 (11/23)Upcoming races: Clinton Country Run 15k, 4/27; Running is Back 10k, 5/12
Thank you so much for the suggestion! I will definitely start incorporating those stretches as well. I did decide to schedule an appointment with a massage therapist that claims to have experience with IT band relief. Maybe it will help, maybe it won't but we shall see!
I've had this issue a time or two, I do stretches for itband hip piriformis, hip flexors. and this strength workout http://strengthrunning.com/2011/02/the-itb-rehab-routine-video-demonstration/
I also slow down running, both speed and volume for a bit, avoid hills for a bit
and for me its not just about strengthening the glutes but making sure they are activating, maybe doing a few glute activators before a run and being really conscious of it, while walking, running and doing other exercises. pay attention to other muscles, hamstrings can get tight too when glutes not firing, as well as it band, hip flexors, look to see if other muscles are compensating.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5gfhnwwR9UY
and try not to sit too much that is always bad for the hips.
Slower but happier
I’ve had it a couple times usually when I ramp up too fast early on or late in the season just before or during/after a long race. Now if I feel it coming on I back off right away. If not painful I will do walking +/- incline intervals (to help heart rate not ITB ). If worse then cross train. I agree the hip excercises in the link above are key. There is also a routine called The Myrtyl for basic maintenance overall that has a good portion hipwork. I know there isn’t great data on rolling, but it sure feels good(not at first), I just don’t overdo it. I agree w race so soon seeing a good PT makes sense. Hang in there, it is frustrating but you will get through it.
2020 goal: couch to 5K, currently working on the couch block
Agree that strengthening, icing, rolling, etc is key to fixing underlying problems and imbalances. Generally, the exercises you'd do for this are also ones that are going to help make you a better runner in general.
My wife struggled with IT band pain several years ago, and she used an IT band strap to keep it under control and manage the pain. When she put it on and ran she said it was like there was no problem at all, almost like magic. (YMMV: your magic may vary) After a couple months of PT and not pushing her training too terribly hard she was able to ditch it. But it allowed her to run without pain.
The one she used was from Pro-Tec, although I know there are others. I think it was by far the best reviewed one when I researched it at the time. I've used several of their products and have always been very satisfied. Definitely shop around and do your own research, though.
https://www.pro-tecathletics.com/Product-Detail/IT-Band-Compression-Wrap
(For the record, I have no connection to Pro-Tec and, unfortunately, receive no compensation)
Thank you for the suggestions and encouragement everyone! I'm going to look into / try all of the stretches and such suggested.
The one she used was from Pro-Tec, although I know there are others. I think it was by far the best reviewed one when I researched it at the time. I've used several of their products and have always been very satisfied. Definitely shop around and do your own research, though. https://www.pro-tecathletics.com/Product-Detail/IT-Band-Compression-Wrap (For the record, I have no connection to Pro-Tec and, unfortunately, receive no compensation)
I actually picked up a Pro-Tec IT band strap after reading reviews on Amazon but i'm not sure if it was already too irritated when I tried it or if I just do not have the tightness right but it seemed to make it feel worse. I haven't given up on it but i'm waiting a little bit to try it again.
I have also been using the tread mill a good bit lately because i was recovering from a sinus infection and it's been pretty cold (well cold for Georgia anyways!) and I just feel like I run weird on a tread mill. Could that be contributing?
Don't forget about the glutes!! If your glutes are weak, you could have some internal rotation in the femurs and lead to added stress on the IT band. I had IT band issues and my PT recommended strengthening the glutes due to the theory above and it has made a significant difference. Foam rolling has also be beneficial for me. I try to keep an eye on the intensity of discomfort. It's usually easy to tell overwork or soreness with injury type pain. If it's the overwork/soreness, I add ice, maybe Aleve, and keep running. If it's injury type pain I taper back.
best of luck!
Road Mile: 5:19 (2017), 5k: 17:09 (2021), 10k: 35:54 (2021), HM: 1:21:55 (2020), M: 2:53:18 (2021)
Thank you for the suggestions and encouragement everyone! I'm going to look into / try all of the stretches and such suggested. I actually picked up a Pro-Tec IT band strap after reading reviews on Amazon but i'm not sure if it was already too irritated when I tried it or if I just do not have the tightness right but it seemed to make it feel worse. I haven't given up on it but i'm waiting a little bit to try it again. I have also been using the tread mill a good bit lately because i was recovering from a sinus infection and it's been pretty cold (well cold for Georgia anyways!) and I just feel like I run weird on a tread mill. Could that be contributing?
Not sure about the treadmill, but I doubt that's the issue. Unless what you're setting it at too fast of a pace and not running what feels comfortable (easier to do outside under your own power). I'll defer to others who know more...anything...about treadmills.
For the strap, my wife said the key for her was to make sure the "nub" is right on the muscle, right above the knee. That's what stabilizes it. She didn't necessarily put it on super tight...just tight enough. You may be right that you still have more PT to do before it can be enough to suppress the remaining pain. Or it might just not work for you...such is the case with most injuries, trial and error.
The good news is that if you commit to the strengthening exercises you should come out on the other side a stronger, better, and more injury-resistant runner. Best of luck!
Fingers crossed I seem to be just now emerging from an episode of IT band syndrome which has lasted around 4 weeks. Anyway I learned a whole lot, some from my running coach, some from my very knowledgeable osteopath, and some from the internet, so I'll try and share some thoughts:
3,000m: 9:07.7 (Nov-21) | 5,000m: 15:39 (Dec-19) | 10,000m: 32:34 (Mar-20)
10km: 33:15 (Sep-19) | HM: 1:09:41 (May-21)* | FM: 2:41:41 (Oct-20)
* Net downhill course
Last race: Waterfront HM, 7 Apr, 1:15:48
Up next: Runway5, 4 May
"CONSISTENCY IS KING"
Thank you again to everyone who has offered suggestions!
A little update - i'm still having pain but only in the evening after a run and only if I push it to 10 miles or so. I am continuing to work on strength training and I know for sure that I have some weak areas and def. need to work on glute activation. I attended one session so far with a Craniostructural therapist who specializes in athletic recovery and it was an interesting experience. I'm not really sure how she did it or if it's all in my head but I did have more strength in my weak leg at the end of the first session. I have not run since the visit (per her request) but i'll be interested to see if any of it helps with the pain in conjunction with the exercises I have been doing. Although it's pricey i'm going to visit her a few more times and see how it goes. Ironically she seems more knowledgeable about running related injuries / running in general than the orthopedic doctor I went to.