Illiotibial Band Strain

[Bullet Sponge]

Has anyone here who is in RT or training for PRMC had ITB Strain. I got it before Christmas and I'm still not over ii fully. Had an MRI (Thank GOD for health insurance) done and everything which confirmed what it was. I was running a 5.50 minute mile before Christmas and have only started back running with a knee support two weeks ago. I've kept up my muscular strength and endurance training but my CV fitness has gone down. I've been using a powerbreath for 7 weeks and am at level 7 on that just to keep the lungs going. I have PRMC on June 5th and am trying to be fit in time for it but this is the most frustrating injury I have ever had. It's characterised by sharp pain at the outer side of the knee after running. It can take months of rest, icing and physio to get rid of. So i'd advise everyone to keep the legs stong but also STRETCH. I read a report on it and apparently it affects 22% of US Marine Corps recruits. I think YOGA should become part of military training to keep people flexible.

[alfred_the_great]

Mate, it sucks! I used lots of brufen, rest and sensible about getting back into the phys. I went swimming and cycling to reduce the impact on the knee - frustrating I know, but there's bugger all point in rushing it and completely f*cking it!

Hope it gets better soon!

[Gimpy]

After doing some research I'm convinced that this is the problem that I've been having (http://www.mfat.co.uk/forums/viewtopic.php?t=16056).

According to a few running websites I went on, if your gait isn't quite right you can end up strengthening some muscles and tendons ever so slightly more than others, resulting in uneven distribution of stresses that occur when running, and also the misalignment of your joints. This may explain why it can keep recurring because the pain may go but the underlying cause is still there.

I've not been running for over a month and the pain is getting less frequent and less severe, but it's still enough to remind me that I'm some way off being able to road-run again and I'm finding it extremely frustrating.

If you haven't done it already, it may be worthwhile going to a running shop where they have gait-scanning equipment as they may be able to pick up subtle differences between your right and left leg, and correct them with custom inserts. I plan to do this, as well as visiting an Osteopath to get myself checked out. Years ago I remember being told that one of my hip-flexors was shorter than the other due to playing a lot of football and kicking primarily with my right foot, so this may well have something to do with it.

The good news is that you can often sort it simply by doing specific stretches, so hopefully neither of us will be out of action for too long.

[Paulc83]

So whats the situation then, if you get it while in rt will you be booted of? Dont mean to be vague but how serious of an injury is it?

[Sarastro]

I went swimming and cycling to reduce the impact on the knee

No! IT band problems are most common among cyclists, because the repetitive action of the muscle moving over the knee joint will irritate it. Cycling not the best way to help an IT band problem. Swimming fine.

Bullet: I had one from cycling last year. Took me quite a while to get over it, slow healing injury it seems. Good news is (at least in my case) it wasn't crippling - I could still do activity, even cycling, but it wasn't going to make the problem any better. In the end I took a couple of weeks rest when possible (couldn't just stop, working as a bike messenger) and after that it was much better, and slowly faded away.

Am a little surprised you got it from running. Have you had the physio have a look at your running style to see if something there might be causing problem?

Otherwise, the wonder stretch I got from physio is this (posted this pic so many times here now):



That's you lying on your front, face down. Fold injured leg under torso as shown. Rest on forearms. Get torso as close to leg/floor as possible to make stretch, and/or stretch out your your arse & other leg away from your head.

[Bullet Sponge]

Hey Sarastro, I work as a fitness instructor and do come across quite a few injuries, and ITB syndrome is quite common among runners, except they just call it runners knee, which it appears refers to lots of different knee injuries, the physio said that because the glutes get tight and then the ITB tightens up and many people don't stretch or do strength work which results in some weak muscles with other ones having to compensate and only ending up tight and prone to injury. Thankfully the athletics club paid for my physio becasue I had quite a few trips. I'm just back in from a 30 minute run so hopefully thats the end of that. Thanks for the advice i've been stretching like crazy and got hold of this thing called a foam roller which looks like one of those big tubes you'd store a poster in. Its made of tough rubber and you just roll any body part up and down on it while you're on the floor. Its great for self-massage on any part of the body. For $10 i'd advise anyone to get one, Google it and check it out. Oh and plenty ice before and after runs.

[Gimpy]

Sarastro- that stretch really worked wonders for me.

I had an almost constant ache in both knees, and sharp pain when I put them under any strain (squatting down, climbing or descending stairs etc). It had been going on for a couple of months and actually seemed to be getting worse even though I was resting them.

I started doing some stretches (including the one you posted) every night before bed, and literally 4 days later I've noticed a big difference. At this rate I may not bother going to see a physio as I was intending to do because they'll be back to normal in a week or so!

[livingsjp]

[quote="Gimpy"]Sarastro- that stretch really worked wonders for me.



i'm also finding that strech is working!

[hazholmes]

Another ITB sufferer here, glad I found this thread. I tried that stretch is it supposed to hurt pull so tight on your arse?

[Dangermouse]

I had this, and its a bitch. Almost impossible to run any great distance with it, and if youre an idiot like I was and you keep running, you won't be walking without a rest every 100m. When I had it, I just stopped running altogether for about 2 months, which was crap considering I couldn't do competitions or even play football in that time - managed to play about 2 minutes of tennis at most. I ended up seeing a physio, but all he could do was recommend some ibuprofen and stop using heavy weights on the leg extender in the gym (which is apparently bad for your knees). That was about 4 years back though, now I'm just back to good old shin splints.

Another good stretch is simply to cross your feet over so that the outside of the feet are facing each other, then simply reach down for your toes slowly.

[degrees of passion]

Here's a question (sorry to hijack),how much do they emphasise stretching at CTC?is it more a case of its on the individual to make sure he stretches or do the PTIs force the issue?I only ask because despite stretching regularly,i still feel like a stiff-arsed old man when i wake up in the morning etc.There's also alot of new opinions on stretching with alot of people saying that static stretching does little to help you warm up and you should concentrate more on dynamic stretching before exercise.Personally i dont feel i can do anything until ive had a good 10 min stretch to loosen up,im only 21 ,is this common or should i be reaching for the yoga book and cod liver oil?

NB:i know that the only way to keep a supply body is to do long,relaxed and slow stretches regularly while breathing properly etc and not just short little warm up stretches,BUT i read in a book that while doing these stretches you shouldn't go further if you start to feel pain?i dont know about anyone else but when i stretch my hammies im in agony .Be nice to hear everyones thoughts on stretching and if anyones got some good stretching routines.