tigerchik wrote:
do you heelstrike? ITBS is more common in heelstrikers
+1
When I was having IT band issues, my PT gave me a running analysis. One of the things he pointed out was that I was a heel striker. Now, the problem wasn't heel striking, per se. The problem was that heel strikers (myself included) were more likely to be overstriding slightly and hitting the ground with a too-straight leg. Mine was hitting the ground with 8 degree and 15 degree angles when they should have been bent to at least 20 degrees on impact. In my case, correcting my form wasn't too terribly difficult. He had me practice running at a slightly higher cadence (178 smp vs. 172 spm), and I automatically moved to a forefoot strike (with a much better angle of impact as a result). Three to four weeks of incredibly sore calves later, and I was running with a forefoot strike even on my slowest runs.
That being said, not everyone needs to be a forefoot striker. But since you are a heel striker, it may be worth it to either get a running analysis done or just have a buddy video you while running so you can see the angle of your leg on impact.