December 05, 2005
I have been a sufferer of iliotibial band pain for several years now. The IT band is a tendon that runs from the side of your hip to the side of your knee. It is typically exacerbated by lots of running, especially on banked surfaces (such as a road). Weakness in the gluteal muscles and hip flexors sets the stage for IT band inflammation.
Peter mentioned to me in an email that he, too, suffers from IT band pain. So I dug up some information from my personal experience and on the web since at least one person is interested!
I went to the chiropractor and physical therapy for a while to treat my IT band tendonitis when it flared up badly and prevented me from running. It took 9 to 10 months to heal completely from two past flareups and that meant NO running for that length of time. The cause of my problems was playing ultimate frisbee, so I quit the sport in favor of less damaging activities. Cross-training activities like cycling and swimming are helpful in preventing overuse injuries like IT band tendonitis.
Stretches, strengthening exercise and massage will help to prevent IT band pain, as well as making sure that you have the right running shoes for your foot type AND keeping your running shoes fresh and updated. I wear Brooks Adrenaline because they were recommended by a pedorthist and I will not change shoes now that I know they are good for me.
Massage: Since most people cannot afford a regular personal massage therapist, there are various products available for self-massage (and I mean the clean type, thank you for keeping your mind out of the gutter). I use an ordinary tennis ball, the Happy Roller ($15 at Bed Bath and Beyond), and the Theracane ($30-$40). There's also the Foam Roller ($15) and The Stick ($30).
After a long run (and your post-run stretches), if your IT band is hurting, put ice on the source of pain for 20 minutes, then 20 minutes off. Repeat as needed. Then massage your IT band with one of the products suggested above.
Here is a good article about IT band syndrome.
This article recommends some stretches and strengthening exercises which will help the condition. These exercises are very similar to what my physical therapist recommended.
More information on ITB tightness from the Running Times newsletter:
Q: My iliotibial bands (ITBs) seized up during a hilly section at mile 17 of my last marathon. Once I got back into the flats I was able to get my pace and stride back. Any suggestions on how to deal with this ITB issue?
A: When ITBs seize up during a marathon, it is usually due to two things: stress from braking on downhills or the "bowing" effect that having to run on crowned roads has on the outside of the downhill leg.
In the first case, you are likely over-striding: landing on your heels, your foot hitting the ground way out in front of your center of gravity, your leg straight and your knee joint locked. Quads and ITBs are the usual victims of this extra stress.
Cause #2 of ITB tightness is due to the uncommon strains on the ITB from the extra stretching it has to do on each stride. The roads need to have a fairly good degree of lateral slope away from the middle for this to occur. You mentioned that your "bands" seized up, so I'm not so sure about the crowned road theory in this instance, unless you spent an equal amount of time on each side of the road.
Regardless of the cause, once you feel the tightening start, you need to stop and stretch. The best stretch targets the outside of your leg by crossing the "good" leg in front of the tight one, then raising the arm of the tight side straight up and tilting your arm and upper body toward the other side—away from the tight ITB—forming a crescent from your foot to your hand.
Posted by megabeth at December 5, 2005 09:13 AM
So I guess there's no point in asking about the other types of personal massage devices? :-)
Posted by: Howard at December 7, 2005 04:38 PM