the main thing is to TAKE IT EASY with returning. I've had it off and on for about a year now, and i constantly have to struggle w/ it. One thing to remember is that once you have it, it's very easy to get again. You should maintain all of the stretching and strengthening exercises that yo'ure doing, to help prevent it from coming back. When mine starts to flare up, i always make sure to take about 10 min and thoroughly stretch it and do some "jane fonda" leg lifts. That seems to help it calm down. Good luck with it, i know how frustrating it is!

slow and easy and stay away from hills when running. you may want to start with an easy spin on the bike to see how it is before giving running a go (i'm assuming it bothered you on the bike as well)

k

Use the following plan. 5min-5min-off-10min-10min-off-15min-15min-off... until you're running 1 hour.



I always use this plan after a lengthy off time from running. This is also all grass running, NO other surface.



It works. If you experience some pain, stop and restart from the begining after at least 3 days of rest.

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"Yeah, no one likes a smartass, but we all like stars" - Thom Yorke


smartasscoach.tri-oeiras.com

Take it easy and take it slow. I had to stick to flat routes as well, any hills would bother me. Trail running is definately out. As for building I think the best thing to do is listen to your body very carefully. Any problems and I would back off. Good luck and quick recovery.

Ok, those are days right? How about a treadmill if grass isn't readily available?

So Saturday: run 5 minutes

Sunday: run 5 minutes

Monday: off

Tuesday: run 10 minutes

Wednesday: run 10 minutes

Thursday: off

and so on?

I have to say after I had a cortisone injection and swam for 3 weeks and did therapy, I got back to running by just jogging 1 lap on the track then taking a day off jogging 2 laps taking a day off and so on until I could jog a mile. Then I started by running 1/2 a mile 2 days in a row 2 times a week, the a mile 2 days in a row 2 time a week, after that I resumed my regular routine on the road with no hill workouts, no pain and have never had it return BTW I had it in both knees.

Where do you live? Is the ground freezing there?



I said grass and it needs to be grass. Sinthetic grass won't do, natural grass. This means that sometimes you have to drive somewhere in order to get your 5minute workout in. But it's the only way.

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"Yeah, no one likes a smartass, but we all like stars" - Thom Yorke


smartasscoach.tri-oeiras.com

Treadmills will only make things worse. Stay AWAY from the treadmills. Evil machines. Evil!

"Treadmills will only make things worse."

Why do you say that? Not disputing, just curious.

and for SAC, OK, already, I'll drive 20 minutes and run in the dark for my 5 minute workout if you insist. Regarding the temp, the low forecast for Sunday in an atypical -9 C.

Treadmills are the only reason I can run at the moment. Zero pain on the treadmill, ITB symptoms after 3k on the frozen road.

When I was recovering from ITB the foam roller was my best friend. I still use it a few times a week and for a long time before and after any races or longer runs. My ITB is always there (I am always aware of it when running) but if I am diligent with stretching I can keep it at bay.

I thought orthodics were helpful initially but I am off them now. I still can't do regular training runs on hard surfaces on a regular basis. Once a week or so is OK. Treadmill and trails are both much better. Good luck. Its infuriating.

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"He broke into the long easy lope, and went on, hour after hour, never at loss for the tangled way, heading straight home through strange country with a certitude of direction that put man and his magnetic needle to shame."

-Call of the Wild

Beat me to it with the foam roller advice.

I go to the Sports Medicine Instititute at Stanford when I need a good deep tissue workout and they are renowned for being the best in the business at ITB rehab. They swear by the roller.

Check out

www.smiweb.org and download their pdf injury prevention and rehab guides. You won't regret it.

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"A society is defined not only by what it creates, but by what it refuses to destroy."
John Sawhill

Mike,

Do what I did and find some soft grass to run on at first. I drove to a park close by and ran around football fields and baseball diamonds at first. NO HILLS!

Dave from VA

As others have said, no hills and build up the mileage very slowly. I'll also add to stay away from cambered roads, and if you must run on the camber then keep your affected leg on the "up" side of the road - which will probably be facing the center line. So, if your right leg is the bad one, run on the left side of the road. Must of us do this anyway to face the traffic, so this isn't as much of a problem as if it's your left leg that is affected. As for mileage, start with a mile, very easy. Two days later, go for another mile. Maybe repeat this a few times. Unless you're focusing on an important winter marathon there is no need to build that mileage too quickly, and ITB irritation can become chronic if it is not treated carefully from the outset. It sounds as if you might have done the right things thus far, however. Good luck with it!

You may have already addressed this, but for what it's worth... My IT band issues resolved themselves once I was put into proper running shoes. I needed arch support and was previously running in neutral shoes. Interestingly enough, my sister-in-law had IT issues that resolved after I *diagnosed* her with a neutral foot and she had been running in shoes designed for pronators. She had always been told that she had a high arch and needed 'arch support'. Dumb, eh?

Good luck to you. As someone who has come back from IT issues, you can do it!

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A lie can travel half way around the world while the truth is just putting on its shoes.
- Mark Twain

http://www.thestick.net/

I've used this pretty regularly, feels good and seems to do the trick.

B-

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"I spent a lot of money on booze, birds and fast cars, the rest I just squandered" -George Best

I am a huge fan of the stick and have one sitting right next to me at my desk. It isn't a substitute for a foam roller for me but is a decent substitute when you are traveling to a race, in the office, etc..........

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"He broke into the long easy lope, and went on, hour after hour, never at loss for the tangled way, heading straight home through strange country with a certitude of direction that put man and his magnetic needle to shame."

-Call of the Wild

Check out the www.posetech.com website. dr. Romanov has an article that address this issue. There has been alot of good advice given here. I would suggest wchecking out Pose Running.
The definition of insanity is "doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results"

josh
level 3 Certified Pose coach

I'm going to disagree about "The Stick". A number of people use it with success, and more power to them. But the stick is flexible, and it's designed for you to apply force with your arms. You can't really get the right angles, and you can't apply enough force, and you can't get deep into the muscle tissue.

A foam roller is considerably better than the Stick, and they're also pretty damn cheap. If you're willing to spend a little, the Quad Baller from TP Massage is probably the best tool out there for deep muscle self-massage. It's small enough to be portable, shaped correctly to get deep into the muscle, rigid so it doesn't bend under your weight, and designed for you to use your bodyweight to apply pressure. I use mine 3x a week on my quads, hamstrings, ITB, and calves. Works like a charm.

Lee Silverman
JackRabbit Sports
Park Slope, Brooklyn

Full disclosure: we sell the complete line of TP Massage tools, and I refuse to sell the stick in the store.

I have to agree with you Lee. Can't get in at the right angles or deeply enough with the stick. You also loose the kneading action that you get from using a dowel... On the other hand, I've used the end of the stick with success on my TFLs. That Quad Baller looks neat. It's like a ergo-shaped tennis ball!

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Proud member of Team Tooth Pick (TTP): like a leaf in the wind.

The scene: 6:30 Friday night, anonymous US mid-South suburbs. A skinny, balding, nearing middle aged man walks through the house attired in running gear, jingling keys.

Wife: What are you doing?

Man: Going running.

Wife: Oh, your leg is better?

Man: Yeah, I think so, but just enough for a short run.

Wife: How short?

Man: 5 minutes.

Wife: 5 minutes? Why do you have your keys?

Man: 'Cause I'm driving over to the soccer fields by the Y.

Wife: You're driving 10 minutes each way to run in the cold and dark on the soccer fields for 5 minutes?

Man: Yeah, this dude I "know" on the internet said I should. Did I mention he's Portugese?

Wife: [rolls eyes]

Man: [thinking on the drive to soccer fields] She probably thinks I'm having an affair. Better hurry home.

Ditto on the recovering ITBS for me...it is something that you will likely always have to deal with. Mine comes and goes, and I am now religiously fanatic about using the foam roll and the various other stretching exercises for the syndrome. I "third" the sentiments about the "stick"--I have one and rarely use it because for me it is largely ineffective.

Shoes are an important and often overlooked part of the whole issue---the wrong shoe type, or worn out shoes, can cause a myriad of problems. Make sure, as Crashinggirl suggests, you're not only in the right shoe for your foot type (and body type) but that you're not running on shoes that have already lived a long and useful life. In many cases we end up treating the symptoms without getting to the real cause of the problem....

LOL... had a good laugh reading this... how was today's run? Pain-free? :-)

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"Yeah, no one likes a smartass, but we all like stars" - Thom Yorke


smartasscoach.tri-oeiras.com

2 for 2 with no pain. Even got there while it was still daylight today.