Have stretched, rolled, done A.R.T, PT, rest, and read everything there is to know about it. It keeps popping up, only when I run though. Most recent in my first Half a couple weeks ago. Mile 4-13.1 was literally run on one leg. How the heck do I get through this???
Have you tried custom orthotics for your shoes? Might be an option… made my IT issues go away a few years ago.
Google it
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Change your running technique. I had bad IT band issues last year when I did IMFL. When I returned home and began training again I started very slowly running bare on a treadmill. Increased my pace and time in small increments and then introduced my shoes. However ran using the same technique as I was when running bare foot! Ever since the pain has been gone and now I can run 2 plus hours pain free!!
You could always give it a shot!
Find a PT or a chiropractor in your area that is working with cold laser therapy… relatively new technology that does wonders for getting you back on the road!!!
Look into the TP Massage (TriggerPoint) products for working the knots out of the tight areas. They may seem expensive or too good to be true, but they work (!!) and that’s what you are looking for! These products are excellent for the injury that you mention. I tried to mimic them at home for over a year before breaking down and buying – the big orange roller is well worth the investment (about $40). http://tptherapy.com/...oducts/the-grid.html
Train your glutes with walking lunges, straight-legged dead lifts (not too heavy) and the whole hip region, including abductors and adductors! It will change the way your ITB tracks.
Have your stride and shoes checked out. You may be pronating or suppinating, which could cause either injury. A new (different) pair of shoes and/or over-the-counter inserts may do the trick.
Stretch the heck out of your entire legs and lower back. Do NOT try to run through this injury… you may need 1- 3 months off along with the the rehab before being ready to run again – not what you want to hear but I learned the hard way. Don’t keep going out to “test” the leg, either, to see if you are healthy again – just prolongs the repairs.
Ray
I struggled majorly with ITBS, and managed to shake it. Here is what I had to do. Here is another great thread on the subject. Good luck!
It might not just be when you run, It could come from a wrong bike setup and it hurts more when you are running. Im having trouble with mine atm
Going to look at the bike setup soon, I feel mine on the bike but it Hurts whilst running
Been struggling with it for 8 months now. Been through the whole gamut…PT, stretches, Foam roller, ART, Graston, cortisone shots, you name it.
had some improvement after the cortisone shot, but it was mostly just masking the problem. After my last visit to my ortho, I am now doing the following exercises ONLY, all focused on my glutes:
Side leg raises: Do them against the wall, but keep you upper cheek away from the wall and your heel on the wall. This will force you to sue your glutes. Keep you foot pointed forward the whole time. If it starts rotating upward, you are not using your glutes anymore.One-legged “chair sits” and “rises”: Lower yourself into you office chair using one leg only. Keep good form, back straight and your weight under control Don’t flop into the chair. Then rise back up again on the same leg.Modified “side step”: My other muscles were taking over on my side step exercise. So now I stay in one place and move my leg back at a 45* with a resistance band below my knees. Similar to keeping one cheek off the wall, it forces you to concentrate on your glutesHip raises w/ foam roller: I think this one amy be key. Stand next to a wall with a foam roller between you and the wall. Bend your outside leg slightly (i.e. as if you were in a running position) and raise and lower your hip next to the wall (you have to bend your inside leg so your foot is off the ground). Do it straight up and down, no twisting hip motion. This is a great way to simulate your hip positions when running and strenghtens your glutes.
With all of the above exercises, I really focus on feeling my glutes “fire” in the motion. I try and “feel” the dimple in my ass and concentrate on that feeling. If I stop feeling that dimple, I know my form has broken down and I need to refocus.
As triathletes, we have very strong leg muscles that are more than happy to compensate for our weaker glutes. You have to counteract that by really focusing on the glutes in these exercises.
Final note - I am now running in Saucony Hattori’s and VFF, but mostly the Saucony’s. I am up to 1.75 miles 2-3 times a week, heading to 1.9 miles this Sat. So far, I ahve been pain free. Is it the new exercise regimen, the shoes or both? Dunno. But so far, I am running pain free. We’ll see what ahppens aas the mileage increases.
Thanks to all the advice!
Could be a cleat alignment issue. I had the same - so slight I never felt it on the bike but I had to be super careful running. Proper bike fit completely cured me.
All “fixes” aside, what I have learned is that my ITBS flares up whenever I take more than 3-4 days OFF from running.
So I would advice to run EVERY day, but only until you feel it coming. Then stop and walk home. Repeat next day. If you’re lucky, you make it further every day.
I would echo the comments regarding strengthening your glutes. One of my favorite glute workouts is on the Runner Core DVD called Fix the Hips, Fix the Knees. You can probably just google some glute exercises.
I have tried everything but… so that is my next chore. I have a tendency to collapse my left side so when mile 4-5 hit my flare ups start. Weak glutes, no doubt.
Give the glute exercises a good shot. I do a glute focused workout once a week and have had great results.
I would also mention that I wear orthotics in both my running and cycling shoes and that I’ve had my bike position tweaked which I believe have helped as well.
The glute work was the biggie IMO.
I can’t quite understand your fourth one. Am I facing the wall? Perpendicular to it? Back to?
I can’t quite understand your fourth one. Am I facing the wall? Perpendicular to it? Back to?
Sorry for the poor description. You are facing parallel to the wall, roller on the inside hip. IOW, shoulder and hip up against the wall.
It is very similar in movement to “hip hikes” on stairs. When I did it today, I included arm movements similar to a running motion and really focused on a bent knee to better simulate what happens during a running stride.
good post
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Quick update re: my rehab, as well -
On Friday I ran 2 1/4 miles in about 20 minutes (blazing, huh?). Still no pain.
Saw my ortho today, mostly in anticipation of getting another prolotherapy injection. Doc did not detect sensitivity in the previous injection area, so we did not proceed with the 2nd injection.
She test my hips and said they were stronger, which is obviously good news. She said to “keep doing what I am doing” and let pain be my guide. Nothing over a 5 pain level on a 1-10 scale. So far, I am well below that.
Ran 1.9 miles today…some small sensations, but nothing that I would describe as “painful”. So far, so good.
Also going to start layering in some balancing exercises…stand on balance pad, reach down and touch a series of cups around my feet, etc. Goal is to strengthen my ankles / calves, thereby providing more overall stability.
Foam roller. I had the same issue and it worked. Hurts like hell in the beginning but it got the job done.
Well, I’m not a Doc but I think I may have ruled out the bike fit issue. Have not run or biked in 30 days. Went out for my first run this moring… after 4 miles I started to feel it coming on. That seems to be the magical number. This sucks!