DANI21496....IT Band ??

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Imafitnessfreak

Cathlete
Hi Dani,

I thought you had said after your Chicago Marathon that your IT band was giving you trouble. If I am remembering correctly...what did you do to get it 100% again?
 
Hi Sarah....not Dani...duh...:)...I had some IT band problems halfway thru the Tahoe marathon in 2000. I did finish but it was really sore. Sometimes just increasing your mileage to quickly and running on uneven surfaces can cause pain there. I just iced the area, cut back my mileage and did some stretches thru Runnersworld.com...within a few weeks the pain diminished...:)...Carole
 
HI there! It actually really started hurting me at the 5 mile point during the marathon! It HURT!

Anywho....what helped was getting custom made orthodics and really stretching it out.

It started bothering me during training. It felt better right before the marathon and then hit me hard right at mile 5 of the marathon. I can't believe I made it the rest of the way, but I had to stop and stretch it out every 3 miles or so. Walking a bit helped too. It slowed me down a bit off my marathon pace but I still finished. I have since gone to a podiatrist and had custom made orthotics made for me. Insurance covered 80%. I have flat feet and I think this had a lot do do with my IT troubles. It hasn't bothered me since.

I love my new orthotics. They really make a difference.

Stretching the IT band really helps too. Stretch it out every day. Here are some links illustrating and explaining the stretches you should be doing.

http://www.itbs.info/html/body_stretches.html

http://www.rice.edu/~jenky/sports/itband_str.html

Make sure you stretch your glute and hip muscles too. They are all connected.

I had a friend who went to a therapist. I've also heard of people seeing a chiropractor for this. They mentioned to find one who does ART (Active Release Technique). I believe some massage therapists do this as well. When there is soft tissue damage scar tissue develops putting pressure on your joints and tendons, which is causes pain. With ART the therapist or chiropractor manipulates your leg as if you are in the running motion. He/she then massages deeply along the hurt leg breaking up the scar tissue. I've heard that it does hurt, but after 3 or 4 sessions you'll feel tons better. Your insurance may cover this as well.

This might help too. It helped me.

http://www.feelgoodstore.com/ViewProducts/Iliotibial Band Compression Wrap/807.aspx

Paste this in your browser.

Or go to www.feelgoodstore.com and do a search on "IT BAND"

HTH!


Good luck!
 
Thanks so much Carole and Dani! I have been having trouble evr since my last 1/2 (Nov. 20th). I went to see a sports doctor to find what was hurting and he said it was the IT band and perscribed a few PT sessions and arch supports. However, I cannot do PT sessions with 2 kids not even in school yet and a DH that works 12 hours a day. I decided to try to stretch it out on my own. It seems to be helping but I am getting impatient and want to be 100% again....it has been 2 weeks since I have been working on it. Then, a few days ago, it was hurting more than it has been and I feel like I am relapsing!

My husband picked up the compression wrap that you provided the link for (Thank You) and I'll use it for the 1st time today. I am just frustrated because marathon training starts in 2 weeks and I want to be 100% so bad!!

My question to you two is this...should I be icing it? How often and for how long? How low should I keep my miles? I haven't had a long run since my last 1/2 (Nov. 20th) and I feel like a junkie all out of drugs and money!!
 
I need to add that I cannot believe you ran ran the entire marathon with pain from this condition! Unbelievable!!!! I know that pain is so excrutiating, there is no way I would be able to run a marathon with such pain! I am impressed and in major awe! You are quite a soldier, my friend! Hats off to you!
 
Oh, Sarah! I feel for you!

Okay, I found this:

http://www.nismat.org/ptcor/itb_stretch/

What are the treatments of iliotibial band friction syndrome?


Rest
Ice
Stretching of iliotibial band
Instruct a person to avoid hills, shorten stride, and run on alternate sides of road
Anti-inflammatory medicine
Orthotics (if appropriate)
Ultrasound
Contrast baths
Local steroid injection

and this
http://www.med.umich.edu/1libr/sma/sma_knee-ili_sma.htm

How is it treated?
Treatment includes the following:

Place an ice pack over your iliotibial band for 20 to 30 minutes every 3 or 4 hours for 2 to 3 days or until the pain goes away.
You can also do ice massage. Massage your knee with ice by freezing water in a Styrofoam cup. Peel the top of the cup away to expose the ice and hold onto the bottom of the cup while you rub ice over your knee for 5 to 10 minutes.
Take an anti-inflammatory medicine, according to your health care provider's prescription.
Do the stretching exercises recommended by your health care provider or physical therapist.
Your provider may give you an injection of a corticosteroid medicine to reduce the inflammation and pain.

While your knee is healing, you will need to change your sport or activity to one that does not make your condition worse. For example, you may need to bicycle instead of run.


Sarah! Good luck and keep us posted!
 
>I need to add that I cannot believe you ran ran the entire
>marathon with pain from this condition! Unbelievable!!!! I
>know that pain is so excrutiating, there is no way I would be
>able to run a marathon with such pain! I am impressed and in
>major awe! You are quite a soldier, my friend! Hats off to
>you!


Awwwwww! Thank you Sarah!
 
The only thing I'll add is from my PT. Icing any area over 20 minutes could be bad in the long run. Possible damaging the skin. He suggests 15-20 minutes 3 to 4 times a day...:)...Carole
 
I'm sorry Sarah...I missed the second question. How far are you running per week now? Are you training with a club or by yourself?...Carole
 
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