I've been fighting IT band problems for over a year, and am just starting to get over it. There is hope! A couple of things that have worked for me -- your mileage may vary:

1)Don't try to run through the pain. I made this classic amateur mistake and ended up unable to run for several months. Pain, especially under the kneecap, is telling you something important. Don't push it.

2)Weight training seems to be helping, specifically knee extentions. You sit in a seat with your knees bent and the weight resting against your shins, then lift your legs until they're sticking straight out. I've been doing them on a machine one leg at a time to make sure both legs are worked evenly. You could also do the exercise with ankle weights on a chair at home.

3)Stretching is also helping. My favorite is sitting on the floor with the "good" leg straight out. Cross the bad leg over the good leg with your knee at your chest (so the foot of your bad leg is just outside the knee of your good leg). Twist your body around towards the bad leg, and you'll feel the stretch all along the outside of your bad leg.

4)Give yourself plenty of recovery time between runs. I do three runs a week -- two 7 milers and a 15 miler, with at least two days of not running after my long run. I'm not doing any speedwork, but I am doing hills and that causes me problems every now and then. I try to avoid the temptation to do "just one more interval" when my body is telling me not to (although I often succumb...)

5)If you bike a lot, make sure you have a proper fit. Before I had my fit corrected (and it's still not perfect) I think I was doing more damage than good on my long rides.

I'd love to hear other people's suggestions -- it's only recently that "leg pain" stopped being a limiter for me on the run, so I want to do everything I can to keep it that way.

Lee

For me, stretching and resting were the two keys. As mentioned above, DO NOT try to run thru the pain. It will make the pain worse not only for running, but also for simple, everyday activities like walking down stairs.

I had about 3 different stretches I would do after a short (~10 min) warmup run. After that, I would massage each leg for about 15 min each. The massage would involve running my knuckles down the side of my leg, starting at my hip and stopping at the knee. I'd be sure to use lotion when doing this... while pressing down firmly with the knuckles. After that, I would rest. No more running until the next warmup run.

Anyway, I went through this routine daily. My IT problem was pretty bad, but went away after several weeks. I would gradually increase my warmup run until I was pretty confident the problem was gone for good. This occured over 5 years ago, and has only resurfaced once. That second time occured a few weeks ago, and was very mild in one knee. I immediately ended my workout and went through the stretching and massaging again... and the pain went away immediately.

One last thing I'll emphasize... whatever stretching/massaging you do for your bad leg, also do for your good leg as preventative maintenance.

"hurts more after speed then when doing distance"...

you sure it's IT Band related? IT Band pain results from the tendon rubbing on the other parts of the knee (the inside-side of the tendon). I just went to the physical therapist last Friday and I got the explanation. He said that the rubbing is the pain on the side of the knee. Typically this results in the tendon pulling the knee over to the outside of the leg and creating pain just below the knee. Additionally, he said that this is not the case if the muscles are strong enough to compensate for this pull. Anyway, back to the running. The distance is what does it for me, as the back and forth of my leg over time rubs and the pain is unbearable. However, you put me in a weight room and tell me to do squats, I'll have no problem (or tell me to run 1/4 mile all out)

I was put on a stretching and icing routine and he said it could be eliminated in 4 weeks (which right there might discount everything he told me!). I was thinking at least 6 weeks as I have been fighting with this for some time and the stretches he gave me are little different than what i was doing.

Stretching routine that i got:

hollywoods X3 (leg over other leg and use your torso-twist to press the bent leg further over)

one leg behing the other, lean into leg so you can feel the stretch up and down you thigh (i love this one) X3

hurdlers stretch position allows you to knead the area with the heal of your hand. both sides for a couple minutes

jane fonda type leg lifts where you lay on your side and press against someone holding your leg down. 5 reps all out strength at 10 sec for both legs

lay on side of table and dangle top leg behind the other. apply ice. (only apply ice while stretching)



I am not a doctor, or PT. just a guy who suffers regularly.

HTH. good luck.

Burns

Hi,

My name is Julie Donnelly and I'm a deep muscle therapist specializing in the self-treatment of sport injuries. The ITB originates at the lateral hip in a muscle called tensor fascia lata (TFL). The TFL goes along the side of your hip from the top of your lateral pelvis to the top of your femur (thigh bone). It then goes into the ITB (which is the tendon for the TFL) and goes down the side of your thigh and inserts into the lateral side of your knee.

All muscles pull on a tendon and then the tendon pulls on the joint. That is how a joint moves. Tendonitis is when a tendon is pulling so hard on the insertion point that it is causing an inflammation where the tendon attaches to the bone. But there isn't really anything wrong with the tendon, it's just being pulled too hard by the muscle. If you release the muscle you will take the pressure off the tendon and the insertion. It's like pulling your hair and hurting at the scalp. The analogy would be your hand pulling your hair is the muscle, the hair is the tendon, and your scalp is the joint. If you let go of your hair you scalp will stop hurting. Likewise, if you release the spasm in your muscle it will release the tension in the tendon and the joint/insertion point will stop hurting.

Back to the TFL and the ITB. As the TFL is going into spasm it is pulling up on the ITB, and causing pain at the lateral knee. To release the tension in your TFL, lie on the floor and place a tennis ball so you rest your TFL onto it (go gently, it will hurt). You need to lie on it for a minimum of 60 seconds. Move your hips around and hit all the painful points - they are all spasms. Then you need to release the spasms that have been created in the lateral quads when the ITB was being pulled tight.

To release your quads you just need to take an 18" dowel (like a clothes closet pole) and sit down at the end of a chair. Place the dowel all the way at the top of your thigh, where your leg meets your trunk. Then press down and slide (don't roll) the dowel down to just before your knee joint. You will find bumps that really hurt. They are the spasms, you need to press them out GENTLY. Do your entire quad - lateral, middle and inner.

This treatment has been proven by hundreds of athletes to be successful at stopping knee pain. It helps to put arnica gel on the areas that were especially painful to help heal the muscle bruising. If I can be of further help, feel free to contact me on my forum www.julstro.com.

Wishing you well,

Julie

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Don't let pain cause a DNF! YOU are your own Best Therapist! Visit http://www.FlexibleAthlete.com and http://www.Julstro.com to learn logical solutions to repetitive strain injuries and how to stretch safely.

Thanks Julie! I'll give it a go!

Kate

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Most people don't recognize opportunity because it wears bib overalls and looks like work.
~Teddy Roosevelt

I swear by heavy duty foam rollers. Roll on it where you feel any tightness (as previously described with the stick). Very good for IT band problems. I've used it for quads, hamstrings, back, calves, etc.

Here is where I got mine (the website is a mess, but the prices are good and the delivery was fast): http://www.fitness1st.com/...ching-balancing.html

Lots of other uses for it too.

Hi Epoh, Which one(s) do I want? And thanks!

Kate



6" diameter x 12" full round.....................$6.95 ea. Order
6" diameter x 12" half round....................$3.95 ea. Order
6" diameter x 36" full round...................$15.95 ea. Order
6" diameter x 36" half round......................$8.95 ea. Order

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Most people don't recognize opportunity because it wears bib overalls and looks like work.
~Teddy Roosevelt

Hi,

I've used the foam roller, it's good to lie on, I especially like the foam for the back, but when you are pressing down (instead of lying on the ball or foam) on the muscle and pushing I've found the dowel to be better. It's hard and inflexible, and it doesn't roll. It also only costs a few dollars at a lumber yard (or you can take an old broomstick and cut it down).

I don't think that any one thing does everything, try both and see what feels best in which area. In some places a tennis ball is the best tool, in others the dowel, and for some, the foam roller. I don't believe that something that is flexible or rolls will help, it's just too light (feels good but doesn't go into the deep fibers).

Everyone is different, just don't spend a lot of money searching for the best tool. Go with the least expensive and then work your way up the money-ladder.

Julie

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Don't let pain cause a DNF! YOU are your own Best Therapist! Visit http://www.FlexibleAthlete.com and http://www.Julstro.com to learn logical solutions to repetitive strain injuries and how to stretch safely.

I have the 36" full round one. If I had to do it over again, I would probably get the 12" one. It should be big enough and it saves on money.

It's not the cure all, but it works for me.

My wife is a PT and helped me get through my IT problems of a year ago. But there was a thread on this forum that helped a great deal. It was posed by a guy thinking about getting a Cortizone shot and was looking for advise. Do a search and you will probably find it. I made the mistake of running through the pain during an 8K in Philadelphia last Fall. Don't do this!

Julie did a great job in her reply. Do all those things. I would add to her recommendations with two suggestions - stretching and strengthening. With all the professional help I received, I think that these two things helped the most. I now stretch at least once a day and many times two. Also I do a very simple excersize of lateral leg raises at least 5 times a week. Lay on your side with your head resting on your hand supported by your elbow - like you were watching TV on the floor while laying on your side. Keep both legs strait and lift your leg in the air at about 45 degrees. Work up to three sets of 20-25 on each side. Do both legs and stretch both legs regularly. It helps to isolate the target hip area if you point your toe inward slightly. I attribute a lot of my pain-free running to this excercize.

Good luck.