IT Band Syndrome

MoreBean13

It's really not something that needs to plague you forever. You just need to start doing regular IT band stretches and rolling them out with a foam roller. The stretches are easy, static stretches and you can do them pretty much anytime throughout the day, or before, after, or during your run. You should get in the habit of doing them every day. Once you start doing them regularly, you likely won't have ITB problems.

IMO EVERYONE should be doing ITB stretches daily to avoid future problems.

MoreBean13

What are the first signs of this syndrome? On my left leg, on the outside area above knee, where my thigh starts (origin/insertion point of my thigh muscle?), there is an achy, almost cold, feeling there. Does this describe the beginning of this syndrome? Everyone once in a while it can be described as a very mild pain. I want to head it off at the pass if I can. I will hold off on running until I see my doctor Monday.

ITB pain can manifest as any combination of weird knee or hip pain or pain along the outside of the leg between the hip and knee. It can feel different in different people. For me it was mild to moderate knee pain that went away after 1-1.5 miles, so I regularly ignored it on my runs until it developed in to a worse problem. It's very non-specific pain. Yours could be that, or it could be something else. It's a good thing you're getting it checked out.

tigersword

Holy necrobump...

MoreBean13

Holy necrobump...

lol, I NEVER catch these.

MrGonzo05

I used to have a great deal of pain from IT band syndrome as diagnosed by an orthopedic surgeon. I also am prone to incredibly tight hamstrings. I did a whole course of physical therapy with little to show for it. The only time my tough, leathery body feels limber is after a few warmup sets of barbell back squats. I also foam roll. The rest was a waste of time for me.

Dshed02

KySny82 wrote: »

Hello everyone,

About a month ago when I started training for a 5K, I developed excruiating hip pain in my left leg to the point where I could barely walk. After that would subside after a day or two, I started getting stabbing pain in my left knee that would ultimately make my toes go numb. After experiencing that after two training runs, I decided to seek help from a chiropractor thinking I just needed an adjustment. She diagnosed me with ITBS. I've been meeting with her on a bi-weekly basis for deep tissue massages (ouch! ), but she still hasn't cleared me to run, which is a huge setback for me. Does anyone else in the MFP world have this syndrome? If so, how do you cope with it and/or what have you found that alleviates the pain? I bought an IT compression band, but I haven't given it a try yet...wondering if anyone else has had success with one?? I've done the stretches she recommended, but they never feel as if I'm doing anything; perhaps I'm doing them incorrectly? I'm still able to partake in other exercise routines, such as Zumba, walking, & resistance training, so it hasn't destroyed my weight loss goals, but running a 5K before I turned 30 was high on my bucket list. I have a feeling this is going to be something that plagues me for the rest of my life, so any feedback, suggestions, or advice on how to deal with this inconvenience would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks for reading & I look forward to all of your responses!

Dshed02

Hello there KySny82, I have IT band issues that I am currently being treated for by a Physical Therapist who uses workout routines to rehabilitate as well as foam rolling to help massage the muscle. I have been advised to continue my bootcamp style workouts, however I cannot jump, or run, but I still get an excellent workout. Get you a PT who specializes in those who train for things such as marathons and other physical training.

Emilia777

I’ve dealt with this also, except I believe my problem was caused mostly by running shoes that were the wrong fit for me. Thus, some thoughts:
1. Try a foam roller / spikey ball (i.e. Acuball) - I use mine often and it hurts like hell when muscles are tight, but it works.
2. Stretches - I recommend stretching your psoas as well as IT bands; a tight psoas can also cause knee pain and back pain.
3. Strengthen your body - I do the Starting Strength routine of heavy lifting and it’s made running much easier for me.

Mind you, I’m not a professional, but these things have worked for me. I hope everyone here gets better stat!

gmallan

MoreBean13 wrote: »

It's really not something that needs to plague you forever. You just need to start doing regular IT band stretches and rolling them out with a foam roller. The stretches are easy, static stretches and you can do them pretty much anytime throughout the day, or before, after, or during your run. You should get in the habit of doing them every day. Once you start doing them regularly, you likely won't have ITB problems.

IMO EVERYONE should be doing ITB stretches daily to avoid future problems.

I'm not sure what type of stretches you're recommending but it nearly impossible to stretch your IT band and there's little evidence about it's effectiveness.

Similarly there's new evidence to suggest that foam rolling your IT bands is actually not good for them.

Read this article

https://www.painscience.com/articles/iliotibial-band-syndrome-stretch.php

What you need to be doing is mobilising and releasing the muscles that the control the IT band (the TFL, the glute max and the quads near the outside of the knee).

Kelly Starrett has some excellent Youtube videos on the subject if you search "Kelly Starrett IT band")