IT Band injury

bunnyr
bunnyr Posts: 275 Member
edited September 19 in Fitness and Exercise
Yikes! I am a relatively new runner. Been running for nine months now and completed a 10K in November. I have been training for another 10K and have developed pain around the outside of my knee which is an IT band injury. I first felt it after a brutal speed workout! Anyone have experience with this type of injury and how did you recover?
Bunny :sad:

Replies

  • bunnyr
    bunnyr Posts: 275 Member
    Yikes! I am a relatively new runner. Been running for nine months now and completed a 10K in November. I have been training for another 10K and have developed pain around the outside of my knee which is an IT band injury. I first felt it after a brutal speed workout! Anyone have experience with this type of injury and how did you recover?
    Bunny :sad:
  • jadaigle
    jadaigle Posts: 161 Member
    I've had some problems and rest helps. I now do a couple of IT band exercises that the doctor gave me after my stress fracture last year and it has really helped me: I can now run up to 9 miles without knee pain.
  • jessmomof3
    jessmomof3 Posts: 4,590 Member
    Unfortunately, yes. I had a severe IT band injury after running my first marathon. It was awful. I finished, but once I stopped running I could hardly walk. :noway: I ended up having to go to Physical therapy and got some good stretches and exercises. I would google it and see what stretches you can find, it can be hard to describe. Another GREAT thing that I got was the foam roller. It will feel like torture at first, but it really helps loosen up your IT bands. I was also on a high dosage of Naproxen (Aleve) which I was told is better for tendonitis than Advil. Whatever you do, do NOT keep running on it while you are in pain. Ice is also a good thing! HTH!

    Jess
  • songbyrdsweet
    songbyrdsweet Posts: 5,691 Member
    REST!

    Pain killers, ice/heat, and definitely stretching. Your IT band runs all the way from your hip to the side of your knee, and is basically just tissue that keeps your leg muscles from flopping around. So stretch your hips, quads, hamstrings, groin, the whole kit n' caboodle (warmed up of course). Most injuries are a result of tightness due to overuse and understretching (not to say that you're doing things wrong, but we often need a lot more stretching than we actually do).
  • nopogal
    nopogal Posts: 162
    Rest rest and more rest. It sucks, but you'll get better a lot faster if you don't run. Also, try a foam roller to get some of the kinks out.
  • Cole4248
    Cole4248 Posts: 19 Member
    Yikes! I am a relatively new runner. Been running for nine months now and completed a 10K in November. I have been training for another 10K and have developed pain around the outside of my knee which is an IT band injury. I first felt it after a brutal speed workout! Anyone have experience with this type of injury and how did you recover?
    Bunny :sad:

    Hey there. I am a massage therapist and work on a lot of injuries/athletes. You need to rest it, because it will worsten. I find that massage is really helpful for this type of injury. The I.T.B. is a very thick fiberous tendon, and has less blood flow then, say, your quads. So a therapist can help get circulation in that area and do some stretching for you. Also, look at your runnning shoes. Certain wear patterns can show you that your gait may be causing your injury. This can be fixed easily by adding inserts or getting special running shoes for your type of gait. I also did some biomechanical assesment for a running store, and would be happy to send you some info. if you have any questions. You may want to look into a foam roller......they are amazing for workout recovery. :smile:
  • Cole4248
    Cole4248 Posts: 19 Member
    Unfortunately, yes. I had a severe IT band injury after running my first marathon. It was awful. I finished, but once I stopped running I could hardly walk. :noway: I ended up having to go to Physical therapy and got some good stretches and exercises. I would google it and see what stretches you can find, it can be hard to describe. Another GREAT thing that I got was the foam roller. It will feel like torture at first, but it really helps loosen up your IT bands. I was also on a high dosage of Naproxen (Aleve) which I was told is better for tendonitis than Advil. Whatever you do, do NOT keep running on it while you are in pain. Ice is also a good thing! HTH!

    Jess

    Yeah Jess!!! Foam roller!!!
  • jessmomof3
    jessmomof3 Posts: 4,590 Member

    Yeah Jess!!! Foam roller!!!

    Good to know I got good advice! It worked great for me. Although I about cried when I first started using it, it works GREAT!! :grumble:
  • bunnyr
    bunnyr Posts: 275 Member
    Yikes! I am a relatively new runner. Been running for nine months now and completed a 10K in November. I have been training for another 10K and have developed pain around the outside of my knee which is an IT band injury. I first felt it after a brutal speed workout! Anyone have experience with this type of injury and how did you recover?
    Bunny :sad:

    Hey there. I am a massage therapist and work on a lot of injuries/athletes. You need to rest it, because it will worsten. I find that massage is really helpful for this type of injury. The I.T.B. is a very thick fiberous tendon, and has less blood flow then, say, your quads. So a therapist can help get circulation in that area and do some stretching for you. Also, look at your runnning shoes. Certain wear patterns can show you that your gait may be causing your injury. This can be fixed easily by adding inserts or getting special running shoes for your type of gait. I also did some biomechanical assesment for a running store, and would be happy to send you some info. if you have any questions. You may want to look into a foam roller......they are amazing for workout recovery. :smile:





    Thanks everyone. I saw the foam roller at our running store last night. Lots of people recommend it!
    I would love any info you can send! I'll keep stretching and icing and I will take a few days off! And I will goggle some better stretches. When do you know if it is time to see a physical therapist. I do get massage and will ask for her to focus on that area. I so don't want to be sidelined by this but it feels like electric shocks down my leg and in my knee! Thanks for all the advice!
    bunny
  • jadaigle
    jadaigle Posts: 161 Member
    I was having that issue a couple of years ago and it re-occurs for me when I don't do my stretching routine every single time I run. I waited too long to get it looked at and ended up suffering a totally different injury. You can still get out there and do some low impact stuff, like cycling and swimming to make up for the running while you are resting it.
  • SherryRH
    SherryRH Posts: 810 Member
    Unfortunately, yes. I had a severe IT band injury after running my first marathon. It was awful. I finished, but once I stopped running I could hardly walk. :noway: I ended up having to go to Physical therapy and got some good stretches and exercises. I would google it and see what stretches you can find, it can be hard to describe. Another GREAT thing that I got was the foam roller. It will feel like torture at first, but it really helps loosen up your IT bands. I was also on a high dosage of Naproxen (Aleve) which I was told is better for tendonitis than Advil. Whatever you do, do NOT keep running on it while you are in pain. Ice is also a good thing! HTH!

    Jess

    OMG Jess, the same thing happened to me after I ran my 1/2 marathon last September. I had a very intense pain on the outside of knee that started at mile 6.5 and I just kept running and it kept getting worse. Of course it was my right knee so after I got back to my car to drive home I could barely bend my knee and thought I would have to call my hubby and son to pick me up. I never want to feel that kind of pain again. Now I make sure I stretch, stretch, stretch. Yoga helps a lot.
  • SHBoss1673
    SHBoss1673 Posts: 7,161 Member
    All this is such good advice, I'd like to add a little to it from an experienced and life long runner's perspective.

    My advice is, along with the advice given above about treatment and conditioning, to use the following techniques to help reduce and eliminate the pain when you start running again.

    1) examine your running stride. Are you really running correctly? There are some GREAT articles at runnersworld.com under the beginner section and then click on the getting started section (on the left side), about stride, gait, form, technique...etc.

    2) Run on softer surface, don't run on concrete or asphault, it's much less forgiving. Most highschools and many gyms have rubber or artificial surface track that has shock reduction built into it. Worst case scenario, find a park or a well traveled trail with grass or dirt. If they are even surfaces (relatively speaking) they will be much more forgiving to your joints and back.

    3) Don't run up or down hills for an extended period. This can put additional strain on the legs.

    4) When you start to feel pain, stop, or slow down to the point where the pain is gone, don't push it, this isn't a pain that will occur then leave when you lift the symptoms, this is related to fatigue, and until you give the tendons and muscles time to recover, the pain and injury potential will persist.
  • Leigh14
    Leigh14 Posts: 871 Member
    I've been having some knee pain for the past two weeks. It started on the outside of my knee, then just underneath my knee cap, then it progressed up to my hip. I had no idea what was wrong, I just know it happened after an exceptionally hard workout on the treadmill and elliptical. And, I know I've had problems with my knee before, but they were extremely intermittent and didn't last very long. I looked up IT band injury symptoms on Google and it looks like that's what I've got!! I did rest for four days last week, but as soon as I got back into it this week, the pain started again. I think my problem is that I do not stretch... I'm not sure how to stretch that area... sooo, the next step I'm going to take is looking up some good stretches and *when* to stretch. :smile:

    I'm grateful God led me to this thread. :smile: I was getting really worried about the possibility of having to have surgery or something.

    So, I hope your knee/leg feel better soon!!!! And, it looks like you've got some excellent advice. I love this site. :flowerforyou:
  • jessmomof3
    jessmomof3 Posts: 4,590 Member
    I've been having some knee pain for the past two weeks. It started on the outside of my knee, then just underneath my knee cap, then it progressed up to my hip. I had no idea what was wrong, I just know it happened after an exceptionally hard workout on the treadmill and elliptical. And, I know I've had problems with my knee before, but they were extremely intermittent and didn't last very long. I looked up IT band injury symptoms on Google and it looks like that's what I've got!! I did rest for four days last week, but as soon as I got back into it this week, the pain started again. I think my problem is that I do not stretch... I'm not sure how to stretch that area... sooo, the next step I'm going to take is looking up some good stretches and *when* to stretch. :smile:

    I'm grateful God led me to this thread. :smile: I was getting really worried about the possibility of having to have surgery or something.

    So, I hope your knee/leg feel better soon!!!! And, it looks like you've got some excellent advice. I love this site. :flowerforyou:

    Yep, pain in the outer part of your knee up to your hip is IT band. You definitely need to stretch stretch stretch!! It's so important. Make sure to do it after your legs are warmed up too.

    And you're right, I love this site (and the awesome people here!) too. :flowerforyou: Hope you are feeling better soon!
  • jessmomof3
    jessmomof3 Posts: 4,590 Member
    OMG Jess, the same thing happened to me after I ran my 1/2 marathon last September. I had a very intense pain on the outside of knee that started at mile 6.5 and I just kept running and it kept getting worse. Of course it was my right knee so after I got back to my car to drive home I could barely bend my knee and thought I would have to call my hubby and son to pick me up. I never want to feel that kind of pain again. Now I make sure I stretch, stretch, stretch. Yoga helps a lot.

    Yep, and the bummer was that the first half of the marathon I felt GREAT!! I hit the half mark and was totally on target for my goal pace. Hit mile 15 and BAM! Felt excruciating pain in my knee. Hobbled/ tried to run the rest, but it was horrible. Almost quit at mile 20, but knew even if I had to crawl the rest of the way I would finish. Then I couldn't run for almost 3 mos after... it was horrible!! :frown: But... it did get me into weight training and I'm in even better shape now! :bigsmile: Yoga is great and stretching is KEY!!!
  • bunnyr
    bunnyr Posts: 275 Member
    Wow! It is so reassuring to hear your experiences. That is amazing Jess that you finished :flowerforyou: . I found some good IT band stretches at Runners world .com.
    Bunny
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