Any Runners with ITBS?

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countrygirl7mels
countrygirl7mels Posts: 36
in Fitness and Exercise
Back story: I am a runner ,and I enjoy running long distances. I had to take six weeks off from running last March because of stress fractures in my shins. They have healed completely, and since I got back to running I made it up to 7.5 miles. I had high hopes of making my weekly "long run" gradually longer. However, I started having horrible pain on the outsides of my knees and in the area of my hamstrings. For a few hours after a run I would have horrible pain when I would bend my knees, especially when walking down stairs. I usually do not have pain when just running 1-3 miles.

From what I can figure, I have ITBS (IT Band Syndrome). This is very upsetting for me having just got back from one injury! Have any runners here had any trouble with IT Band Syndrome? How did you cope with the pain? A lot of material I have read leads me to believe I just have to cut back on running, but I signed up for a half marathon and it is in 4 weeks. I am hoping I can simply manage the pain well enough to train and run the race, and then I may have to back off from running any more than 1 mile at a time with an occasional 3 mile run. I have heard a cortisone shot will help with this as a last resort.

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  • countrygirl7mels
    countrygirl7mels Posts: 36
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    Bump - Does anyone have any insight?
  • CALake
    CALake Posts: 269 Member
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    I can't help with the ITBS, but as someone who was sidelined and on crutches last year at this time with a stress fracture I found that it was my total weekly mileage- not the distance on the long runs that bothered me. A lot of the half marathon trainings have you running 4-5 times a week (a few 3 or 4 mile runs, a tempo run, etc.) in addition to the long run at week's end. The total miles were too much for me! When I got back to running after the injury I kept to 2-3 runs a week including the long run on the weekend. I was upping my long runs without adding on all the extra miles during the week.

    Obviously it could be completely different for you- but for me it was the total miles not just the long runs.
  • kristinegift
    kristinegift Posts: 2,406 Member
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    I've had ITBS before (and a range of other knee problems), and what helped the most was cutting down the running and doing strength work. ITBS is often a symptom of other strength issues (quads, glutes, hips, etc.). I did some PT for it, but the exercises were a lot of clamshells, leg lifts, lunges, squats/jumping squats, etc. to work on my glutes and other stability muscles so I wouldn't put so much pressure on my IT band. Try working on various strength/stability exercises for maybe 2-3 days -- no running! -- and see if that helps. You could also make an appointment with a doctor to get some individualized advice :)
  • bwogilvie
    bwogilvie Posts: 2,130 Member
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    I can't vouch for the information in this article, but it's worth considering:
    http://www.runnersworld.com/injury-treatment/getting-it-band-back-together
  • secook326
    secook326 Posts: 10 Member
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    FOAM ROLLER! It's magical, and if you're not rolling around on one already, I'd ask a PT or trainer to help you with some basics. Also, strengthening the muscles surrounding it, including lower back, and stretch stretch stretching out the glutes! Also some ice bath will help alleviate the inflammation...put cold water in the tub, sit in it up to hip-deep for 10-12 minutes maximum (no longer, you'll start to freeze) - I usually wear a sweatshirt and bring a cup of hot tea along :)
  • itodd4019
    itodd4019 Posts: 340 Member
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    FOAM ROLLER! It's magical, and if you're not rolling around on one already, I'd ask a PT or trainer to help you with some basics. Also, strengthening the muscles surrounding it, including lower back, and stretch stretch stretching out the glutes! Also some ice bath will help alleviate the inflammation...put cold water in the tub, sit in it up to hip-deep for 10-12 minutes maximum (no longer, you'll start to freeze) - I usually wear a sweatshirt and bring a cup of hot tea along :)

    this ^^^^

    my fiance fights this one daily. She rolls after every run. I roll once in a while, I don't hav any issues, just loe the reat feeling of rolling out. Nothing else hurts so good.


    I would also add that rolling down the outer portion of th leg only. then when rolling back up, go up the quad, or the glut. Then back down the side. The IT only has muscle on one end of it, the butt end. So pulling the IT band way from the knee is not the best practice.
  • LoraF83
    LoraF83 Posts: 15,694 Member
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    I had ITBS issues when I was training for my half last fall. A friend suggested some PT exercises and those coupled with lots of foam rolling and yoga helped me finish my training and complete the half (but I was in pain all the time).

    After the half, I went to get new shoes. New shoes = no more problems. I haven't had a single pain since switching. So, my only suggestion would be to consider changing out your footwear.
  • itodd4019
    itodd4019 Posts: 340 Member
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    I had ITBS issues when I was training for my half last fall. A friend suggested some PT exercises and those coupled with lots of foam rolling and yoga helped me finish my training and complete the half (but I was in pain all the time).

    After the half, I went to get new shoes. New shoes = no more problems. I haven't had a single pain since switching. So, my only suggestion would be to consider changing out your footwear.

    yeah!!! Forgot that, Gidget also changed to wearing Hoka
  • scorpio516
    scorpio516 Posts: 955 Member
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    I developed ITBS after getting hit by a car biking.

    Foam roller? Nothing
    Stretching? Nothing

    I bought the Pro-Tec IT Band strap, pain went away the first run. I used it for a few months, and I ended up better.

    BUT, see your doctor first! Get diagnosed. It might be something totally different. I needed an ultrasound on my knee to figure it out.
  • capnrus789
    capnrus789 Posts: 2,731 Member
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    I've got this. A foam roller has done me wonders. Also, strengthening my glutes, piriformis, and hamstrings has helped as well. for me, it was all about the supporting muscles and not the band itself.
  • Kyle47BC
    Kyle47BC Posts: 7 Member
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    Iliotibial Band Syndrome is common in runners as it is the result of continual rubbing of the band along the femur as the knee flexes and extends. This causes inflammation within the band which can be quite painful and also constrains blood flow.

    I had ITBS which caused a lot of knee pain and also my knee cap became slightly mis-aligned. I bought these 2 products from King Brand which helped me so much! The one is a blood flow stimulator, if I use it before running I don't experience any flare up, pain and my knee doesn't give out at all. If I forget to use it beforehand or end up unexpectedly playing a game of basketball then if my knee does flare up I use a cold compression wrap which immediately relieves the pain.

    The products I got were from King Brand, I'll put a link in below. I've bought plenty of cold packs, I highly recommend these ones. I've never seen anything like their stimulator though it's probably a lot like an ultrasound machine.

    http://www.kingbrand.com/Knee-Injury-Pain.php?REF=52PV51
  • ag27404
    ag27404 Posts: 47 Member
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    All of these are good suggestions. The one thing I would add is dry needling. It sounds like a bunch of voodoo to me but the physical therapist I was seeing to help strengthen my glutes, back, etc suggested it when after 6 weeks I was still having knee issues (BTW - I "self diagnosed" with IT band issues and he told me that wasn't the issue so it could be something else).

    So dry needling - they stick several acupuncture sized needles into the area with pain. I had run my half and about mile 8 my knee injury started acting up. I was fine after the run, until the next weekend when I tried to run 6 miles. About mile 3 I was about to cry my knee hurt so bad. So after talking to my PT about it, he offered me a free session to try the dry needling. I figured I would only waste an hour or so of my time and then we could go on and attack the real issue. I did do a lot of research and asked some of my running friends their thoughts and everyone spoke very highly of it.

    Anyway - 10 needles were put in the side of my knee and left in for about 10 minutes and then removed. That was is. (Like I said, it seemed like voodoo). The next day I ran 4 miles with no issues. 4 days later I ran 7.5 miles with no issue. 2 weeks later I ran 10 miles with no issue. I'm not 100% sure why it works but it did for me and I'd recommend trying it.
  • countrygirl7mels
    countrygirl7mels Posts: 36
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    Thank you! This is a lot of good information.

    I am so frusterated! I am very stumped by the cause of the whole thing, because I started weight training last December, so my muscles should be getting stronger, and while I was taking time off due to the stress fractures, I stayed active on the elliptical, stair machine, and stationary bike. I just want to be able to run like I used to, and it is not fun lately. I even considered just quitting it and maybe taking up biking. I have even started to stretch before and after every run, which, I admit, I was not the most persistant about doing.

    I am going to take the suggestions here and make a trip to the Dr before I give up!
  • gersloyal
    gersloyal Posts: 7 Member
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    I had a really tight ITB due to a hip injury. Although not much of a runner I went to the Run4It shop and bought a muscletrac. This is a sturdy plastic roller kind of like a rolling pin but with for seperate moveable nodules in the middle. I would run it up and down my ITB on a daily basis and slowly but surely it worked it out. I have to keep this up because my whole biomechanics are in sh1t order at the moment due to original injury but this piece of kit has been most helpful. I think I payed £33 for it. They are also available on Amazon if you were ever looking to get one. Blue and grey in colour for reference.
  • ZenInTexas
    ZenInTexas Posts: 781 Member
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    I had a terrible case of ITBS during training for my marathon last fall. I suffered through many long runs, took advil to just try and get them done. I foam rolled, stretched, iced, used a knee brace, did hip and glute strengthening exercises, yoga, absolutely nothing helped. I thought I was going to have to give up running the marathon. Then I found a chiropractor who specializes in Active Release Therapy. It hurts like a mother but within 4 visits I was running pain free. I made it to the starting line perfectly healthy. I swear by ART now, it works like nothing else.

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