How did your IT Band Syndrome Heal - gradually or immediately?

jtarmom

I've been battling IT band syndrome since my half marathon at the end of May. I'm working with a PT who has me strengthening my glutes, hips, and core. Every time I run now, I can run a little further before the ice pick in the side of the knee stops me - I'm up to 3.58 miles at a time now. Truthfully, my knee was starting to bother me at about 2.5 though.

I'm curious if others who have dealt with this found their healing to be similar - small increases in distance before the pain stops you - or if it just stopped hurting one day.

I was hoping for some anecdotal evidence that I will be able to run without pain again, and maybe run another half in the fall!

melaniecheeks

Marking place - just noticed a twinge in my left hip during last night's run, so I'm keen to treat it correctly.

jtarmom

@melaniecheeks - that's how mine started. I had no idea what it was so I kept running. Good thing you noticed it!

slaite1

I stopped running temporarily when my IT band was really bad. Only took a week or two off and did lots of stretching, foam rolling etc. When I went back to my old activity level (running and weight lifting), it would act up again if I didn't stick to my strengthening and stretching exercises religiously.

I tighten up quickly, and know if I'm getting tight hips and/or knee pain that I better back off. I would have stopped when your knee started to hurt. You will be better off in the long run if you take it slow

zdyb23456

I had terrible hip pain after training for a half marathon. I took a couple of months off and got back into running with no pain. Then my hip pain came back, this time in a different location and it was way worse than before. Went to see a sports medicine dr. and he gave me stretches/exercises to do. I think I got pregnant before I got back into running again - I was running a little bit, but nothing like I was before.

I took 6 years off from running (3 pregnancies).

I am back in it now and very aware of injuring myself. Any sign of pain in my hip or knees and I'll be treating it immediately. My goal isn't long distance anymore - 3-5 miles is my max.

jmule24

@jtarmom - I haven't been "brave" enough to test it out. I injured my knee running my half marathon and have only ran 3-4 miles at a time. For awhile it would start to flare up at mile marker 1 and then sometimes mile marker 2.5 or so. I've been mainly weight lifting since, I'd love to "check off" marathon finisher off my bucket list!

cwolfman13

I don't run much for this very reason. When I ran more back in the day, I had to spend a ton of time rolling out my IT bands...eventually it just wasn't worth it and I just pretty much went full cyclist...and I swim a little. I do have aspirations of doing a sprint triathlon though so one of these days I'm going to just have to suck it up. I was usually fine so long as I was foam rolling religiously...but I was seriously having to roll for like 20 minutes after every run to keep things loose.

DancingMoosie

Mine was pain all along the outer side of my thigh. It hurt for quite a while, esp. anything with incline or stairs. For a week, I kinda hobbled around. Eventually, I would run my normal route, but walk the inclines until it got better. It went away slowly.

cheshirecatastrophe

Pfft, if you started having problems in May and you're already running 3.5mi, you'll be fine.

A few years ago, I wound my IT bands (both of 'em) up so tightly and pushed through the pain for so long that one day I couldn't even *walk*. I was curled up on the couch, sobbing on the phone to my mommy. I spent about four months in physical therapy, doing flexibility and strength work like you are. (And electric stimulation/TENS--that stuff is SORCERY). There was absolutely *no* chance of me running during most of that time. I swam a little. I had to wear those IT band support wraps under my pants just to get through the days without gritting my teeth in pain constantly for at least the first couple of months.

Well, I stuck with most of the exercises. Fast forward a few years, I ran a marathon. Currently training for another.

ITBS is wretched, but it *is* curable. You just need patience and a stronger butt.

sheltol

Foam roll up and down the side of the leg with symptoms from hip to knee. This is gong to hurt like you know what. I would work on it for 15-30 minutes a night while watching t.v. or whatever. It could take as little as a few weeks to alleviate symptoms but possibly much longer.

missKarm

This is going to sound very simple & obviously may not work for all but I finally found the cure for mine.
I had IT band issues that started in my hip during my first 1/2 marathon training. It was sooo awful. I stopped running for awhile. When I took it back up (I LOVE it too much to stop!!) the pain was back with a vengeance. I decided that I probably just needed to be done. I did some final research & found some stretches that seemed odd but decided to try them. I seriously have little to NO pain now. Apparently it was my inner hip flexor (I have no idea if that is the technical term it is just the best way I can describe it) that tighten up when I run. Doing butterfly stretches are my favorite & seem to do the trick. You just sit or lay back with your knees bent all the way up & lay them open. I usually fall forward over them to get the best stretch but I had to work up to that. There are other (more awkward) stretches that work well too. If you look up "hip opener stretches" you should find a few. I usually do these stretches right after a run & then if I'm just sitting around watching TV.

I hope it works as well for you all as it did for me. It's an awfully painful injury to contend with.

BrianSharpe

Have you also seen a massage therapist? A number of years ago I stupidly running a half-marathon the week after a 100km charity ride (LFMF) I ended up missing 6 weeks of running trying to self-treat myself with stretching & foam rolling. After a few (very painful) sessions with my RMT, and her doing like your PT with the exercises, I was back out on the road,

Hip, glute & core exercises are a regular part of my strength sessions and I still go in for a monthly beating. 6 years pain free and I've moved up to Olympic distance duathlons as well as HMs....

jtarmom

Thanks all! You've given me some hope I'll be able to run again! I recently had a setback and am back to about 2.5 miles before the pain makes me stop. My PT has me doing more butt strengthening moves that I'm hopeful will get me back out there.

@jmule24 - I'd like to add marathon finisher to my bucket list too! Maybe next year....

kristinegift

The last time I had IT band pain, it was about 2-3 weeks leading up to my first marathon. I did a lot of supermans and hip/glute/stability exercises, and then magically the day of the race the pain went away and hasn't returned (*knocks on wood*). It sort of started to ease up gradually, and then disappeared all together. There's hope!

WhatMeRunning

I had issues that showed up during the last few miles of my first HM as hip pain, and they started again once I began doing 10+ mile training runs again after that. I found exercises to work on hip flexors, core and glutes and just did those religiously for a while. The problems have since gone away until very recently after I skipped several weeks of those strength sessions. Needless to say I am doing those again and have been pain-free since (with some added help from my foam roller).