IT band help

marathon64

I experienced chronic problems with my IT band and I have tried everything including rest, pt, strengthening my legs, foam rolling, stretches, etc to no avail. Now my IT band seems to ache all the time. Any thought about what kind of doctor I should seek out to help with this? I live in a remote area and will probably have to travel so if you know of resources to help find a good doctor that would be great as well. My go to cities would be Albany NY or Boston MA.

iminaquagmire

Have you tried specific IT band stretches? They helped me significantly, especially after my cortisone injections. Another thing to try is an IT band strap. It just helps keep pressure on it and tracking properly. You'll want to see an orthopedic doctor. Most orthos have a specialty in a specific body part or groups of them. Make sure you go to one that does knees. Find a practice online and do your homework on it looking for reviews and history of the doctor. For instance the practice I went to in Illinois was filled with doctors that did sports medicine for big name professional teams. Made me more confident that I could trust them to work on my knee.

marathon64

Did you have cortisone injections for your ITBS?

Yes I have tried stretches and a strap...I think there must be something going on beyond just straightforward IT band stuff as this is dragging on for a very long time even with rest. Thanks so much for the suggestions for an orthopedic specialist. How is your IT band now?

sleepytexan

chiropractor! hands down, the fastest, most effective relief you can get in most cases. non-invasive, painless, drugless, and usually same day appointments.

good luck.

blessings.

jody664

For your first question, what type of doctor should you see.....I would suggest an orthopedist or (even better) a sports medicine physician. I'm near Cincinnati, so I can't really give you a recommendation. Sorry.

But you may want to check out a massage therapist who does stretching combined with massage. I thought for sure I was having left hamstring problems and went to a massage therapist who does Active Isolated Stretching. He spent a few minutes on my hamstring and we quickly realized it wasn't hamstring. He moved on to the IT band and YOWZA! there was the problem. He put me in the typical IT band stretch positions and then using gentle massage, worked the muscle. He spent about 45 minutes on both IT bands (but mostly on the left) and I couldn't believe the difference. I had my massage last Sunday and still have had no problems with my ITB all week (even with 6 days of exercise). Highly recommend it!

iminaquagmire

Did you have cortisone injections for your ITBS?

Yes I have tried stretches and a strap...I think there must be something going on beyond just straightforward IT band stuff as this is dragging on for a very long time even with rest. Thanks so much for the suggestions for an orthopedic specialist. How is your IT band now?

I had cortisone injections for few problems with my left knee (ITB, tendonitis, and a stress injury of my distal femur). Whatever the problem, the cortisone just serves to help with the inflammation. I really injured my knee at work in October but had problems before with light pain. As of the end of January I'm back at full duty though I could probably use another shot. I'm only just getting some light jogging accomplished. Impact really bothers it.

Be prepared for some physical therapy if its really an issue for you. There are some good stretches and strengthening exercises for the ITB. However as I discovered, the knee all works together and you can't have any other weaknesses in it. Get it checked out by somebody who does knees. You need to be sure that it isn't a stress injury/fracture or a torn/pulled ligament/tendon. Even just the patella not tracking right can cause issues.

heybales

I experienced chronic problems with my IT band and I have tried everything including rest, pt, strengthening my legs, foam rolling, stretches, etc to no avail. Now my IT band seems to ache all the time. Any thought about what kind of doctor I should seek out to help with this? I live in a remote area and will probably have to travel so if you know of resources to help find a good doctor that would be great as well. My go to cities would be Albany NY or Boston MA.

Find a chiro or physical therapist or massage therapist that does Active Release Technique (ART).

It's like pressure point combined with stretching. The idea is to break up the scarring that does occur in muscles and tendons from injury or overuse. If scarring is there, things don't slide like they should. And things are tight since there is not a full length of tendon or muscle to take the stretch or movement.

It'll hurt for probably first session, second much less, may not even need the 3rd. Though most chiro's I've dealt with will try to keep you coming back. I've got 2 honest ones, 1 of which does ART. Had a friend massage therapist that did it, and at PT one of the gals did it.
Specialized training, they should have certificate for.

marathon64

Thanks for the great suggestions

jody664

Find a chiro or physical therapist or massage therapist that does Active Release Technique (ART).

Yes! My massage therapist said they call it Active Isolated Stretching, but chiropractors called it Active Release Technique. But it's basically the same thing. Did wonders for me!

sugarbeans

ART can be quite painful, and IT band also tends to be more sensative than others. ART can be quite effective but just remember on a pain scale of 1-10, 10 being the most excruciating pain your pain should never go past a 7.
I tell my clients this all the time. No pain no gain doesn't always work, when it comes to massage going beyond this can be counter productive, muscle start to tense up to prevent further injury. You will most likely be sore for a day or two afterwards, make sure you drink lots of water and have a hot epsom salt bath later that night or the next day.

The IT band can be tricky and sometimes it isn't what is causing the pain. Try stretching out your piriformis/glutes by crossing your legs to make a 4 and bend over. Foam rolling is fine, but can be awkward and some will not have this at home. If you bake use your rolling pin and roll your quads, hamstrings and IT band start with light pressure and slowly increase it till you hit the 7 on the pain scale.

I would suggest seeing an athletic therapist, physio, or orthopedic and massage. With massage you also want to make sure that during the intake they watch how you walk and what not. Might be more to this than just your IT band.

Hope this helps

discodaddy61

have you just tried to rest and ice for 3 days NO exercise

taso42

How long has it been? I injured my IT band last year and it took literally months to heal up properly. Some injuries just take time. If that is the case for you (not saying that it is), then the only thing you can do is rest it and find alternative exercises. Good luck!

marathon64

Thanks again I did have two massages. The first one seemed to help but then things got even weirder. The pain radiates and i have some pins and needles. It is definitely my IT band but also more than that now. I guess I will go back to massage. This is all costing me a lot. orthotics, PT, massage, chiro, new shoes. I'd pay 5 times as much to just put it behind me