These are all guesses and wild speculation:

Never heard of a IT band tear/rip, although that doesn't mean it couldn't happen. My feel is that your IT band is REALLY aggravated so much so it bothers you on the bike. Your PT aggressive stretch didn't mess it up more, its just that your IT band is so inflamed any any stretching is going to hurt. Another common therapy is "rolfing" which supposedly hurts like hell but helps your IT band to stretch.

From my experience, I'm guessing your IT band is screwed up as bad as it is because you didn't back off to let it recover. You really have to back off, and I'm not talking about skipping a week of running...I'm talking months of recovery....maybe others with IT band issues could chime in on this, but my experience is that it takes a long time. Also, it sounds like you really messed yours up, and its going to take alot longer for it to recover.

It sucks, but that is the IT band for you. good luck

The ITB is a mysterious pernicious bitch. It's one tough sucker, and I'd doubt you've torn it.

It's not a muscle so can't really be stretched in that sense. As I understand it, it can become more taught or less supple due to any of a number of potential causal factors.
I wouldn't be too quick to say it will take months to deal with. It's just a matter of identifying the cause, some of which are easier/shorter in tme from than others to fix.
If you've done the google thing you know about the various possible causes.

I had success with ART along with working on the strength and flexibilty of everything from the hips down, esp the hips and glutes. I had a week or two of total down time before starting these. I've had it only hurt on the bike on one leg, then recently just when running on the other. I had slacked off on the stretching, rolling, strengthening stuff.

My PT gave me exercises for my glutes and hips. Although the hip ones there is a band that is wrpped around my legs near my attachment point which cant help... One of the other factors in my SI joint has been locked up for a while and before PT I was working with a chiro to get it from being locked up.

I think chiro can help, it did for me as supplement to the ART and evrything else in my first battle with this.

I had spent my first 5yrs of training doing no stretching, no massage, nothing. Was injury free but it caught up with me after 5yrs. My hips were skewed, one side higher and more fwd than the other. Maybe your SI or something related thereto was causing more pull pulling onone side.

I hope others reading will throw in their .02.

thing is before this one day my left was the one that bothered me alot, and that fits with my SI and such. But one week after my last race of the season I went for a run and they got tight, so I stretched them on after streching my right one I started running again and got a sharp pain that was PAINFUL, so I walked back to the car. since then my right has been bothering me but my left not much,,

It's easy to aggravate the ITB by stretching.

Find a PT that does acupuncture (also known as IMS). This will loosen it up so you can use gentle stretching for maintenance.

Also, find a hard foam roller and roll up and down along the side of your leg. Hurts like hell, but it helps to loosen things up without straining the attachment point.

Best treatment for ITB is the roller. You can buy one from Pilates.com or if you're tough, save some bucks and buy a 2-foot length of 4" PVC. Lie on your side and rest all your weight on the roller right at the hip bone and then slowly roll yourself over the roller (so the rollers rolls down your leg) until you find a spot that REALLY hurts. Park there for 25-60 seconds, or until you feel the pain subside substantially. You can roll back and forth by a half inch or so, but don't roll up and down. You basically want concentrated static pressure on one spot at a time.
Once you've gotten some relief on that first spot, then roll down a little further until you find another really sensitive spot.
The bad news is that the more this hurts, the more you need to do it. The good news is that it's virtually zero cost (the Pilates roller is $40 and lasts for two to three years, the PVC is cheaper and lasts forever) and the more you do it, the less it will hurt.

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Cousin Elwood - Team Over-the-hill Racing
Brought to you by the good folks at Metamucil and Geritol...

Hi, i think I may have the same proplem as you. Any luck so far? i've been seeing a massage therapist, chiro and PT and still it bothers me. i do all the stretching and the NSAIDS. The chiro seems to work the best, after an adjustment, I actually walk away pain free, but after 2 days of rest i went on the bike for a light spin and the next morning it was back again, not as severe but back. Wanted to see if you had any improvements and tips? thanks

The ITB is a mysterious pernicious bitch.

Having "been there, done that" I can only say that truer words were never spoken. That is some real poetry there.

Bernie

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"Slowbern has always made astute observations."-Casey 03/10/2009
2013-2014 Detroit Lions---13-3 until proved otherwise.

This has helped me thru some nagging tightness and pulls this season. After 5 years, I have finally given into the idea that this type of stuff does merit some attention. It's helping me with a calve problem now. Most high end gyms will have one, and you can always get one for yourself (the hardest rolls get the best results).

http://runningtimes.com/rt/articles/?id=9911

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"Outwork your talent." Kevin McHale

I've just had to pull out of my main race for the season due to my IT band...Just going to focus on recovery now. Hope it gets better!

Thanks.
Of course, I really wish it were not so.
Serious bee-otch, that f****ing ITB.
8 weeks of no running for me. Made 3 attempts, each aborted when the symptoms popped up after 15mins.

This stretch really seemed to help me:

http://www.rice.edu/...y/sports/itband.html

Actually, it is possible to tear your IT band. I managed to do that in 2003, just by stepping off a curb two days after a hard downhill marathon that I did not train properly for. My understanding, from my doctor, is it is not common and pretty hard to do. As others have said, the IT band is pretty tough so apparently it's not supposed to tear. My tear was small, and ultimately was diagnosed by MRI. My doctor had no idea that was the problem - he was leaning toward a femoral stress fracture, some sort of back problem, etc. to explain the sharp pain I felt that also radiated down my leg.

Before I found a good doc, I saw one who was convinced it was hip bursitis and thought cortisone shots would solve it, and didn't think an MRI was useful when I asked for one. Then I found someone who at least identified it as an IT band problem, but just did the standard PT stuff - ultrasound, massage, etc. Finally I found my current doctor who immediately recognized my ten months of symptoms were incredibly abnormal so I got an MRI right away. The treatment? Basically 12 weeks of rest. All the PT in the world wasn't going to fix a tear, and parts of it were probably aggravating it (direct deep tissue massage on a tear probably isn't the best...) I'm pretty sure that at times during that 10 months I re-tore it - I remember specific incidences where I felt it get worse after tripping during a trail run, suddenly stopping on my bike and throwing my leg out, etc. I saw no improvement in symptoms until I was about 8-10 weeks into actual rest (vs. my 10 months of misdiagnoses where I was told I could keep training, so I did). I included some light massage toward the second half of the 12 weeks, but not right on the injured area. Basically, I just needed to give the area time to heal, which takes awhile since the IT band doesn't get a whole lot of blood flow.

I still have issues with that IT band, due to the scar tissue from the tear and the usual imbalance between my left and right sides. But the tear was unique in that now that I know what it was, I can pinpoint exactly when it tore and what it felt like, vs. an overuse injury that gradually comes on. Right now I'm getting airrosti treatment for the same IT band since it's been acting up a ton, and while I'm not positive it's going to pay off, the idea is it will help with the scar tissue and realigning everything that's pulling wrong.

If your IT band is really causing problems and seems abnormally painful, it can't hurt to ask your doctor about an MRI. I know I wish I had pushed my original doctor for it given that no one was ever going to figure it out otherwise. And, even if you didn't actually tear your IT band, there might be something else going on.

hi, I just had some hip/glut/itb probs (more gluts/tfl) that had me stop running for 4 weeks and cycling for 3 weeks and almost off swimming with kick. Saw chiro, physio, massage, rest and ice, Nsaids, you name it. Had some temporary relief with them but no way could i train without it flaring up. I had tried using a tennis ball, but didn't do a whole lot. Then 2 nights ago, i was so frustrated I tried the rolling pin and IT WORKED! The next day, no pain, almost back to normal. I went and bought the TP quadroller and the little ball and worked it last night, even better! I highly recommend trying it out!

Hi Javelina, I have just found out I have had an IT band tear as well. It is only 3 mm wide and doc has suggested 8 weeks of rest. Just wondering how big was your tear? And did you put weight on your tear in the first couple of weeks? How long before you were walking or doing any physiotherapy for it? Thank you for any help or advice.

I don't know how big my tear was - the MRI report didn't give specifics, just that it was small. Once my tear was diagnosed, my only restrictions were from exercise (swimming was ok, but I was told to even take it easy there, in terms of using my legs and pushing off the wall). But basic walking (for daily activities, not for exercise or any kind of distance) was fine. I didn't have any kind of therapy either. Just lots of rest, and I didn't see any improvement in my symptoms until I had over 8 weeks of rest. I think I rested about 12 weeks before resuming exercise gradually. Good luck with your healing.

I don't think I would just see a chiro...what pops back into place can easily pop back out again. See an orthopedic doc. You probably need to strengthen your hamstrings and hip flexors.

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Check out my sad excuse for a blog:
http://brianstriblog.blogspot.com/

As a chiropractor, adjustments alone likely will not give you the results you seek. A chiro that is also ART certified and as a bonus utilizes graston technique or other similar tool will give you a few different methods to help break up any intra-muscular(Tensor Fascia Lata) or intra -ITB contracture/excessive tightness

This is provided that above mentioned contracture/excessive tightness is the cause of why your ITB hurts, there can certainly be others.

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"No matter how hard you train, Somebody will train harder. No matter how hard you run, Somebody will run harder. No matter how hard you want it, Somebody will want it more, I am Somebody"~ST Post

I know this is an old post, but I just found out today that I fully detached my IT band and there isn't a lot of literature out there. Since 2008, have you learned anything more?