But the truth is I've been experiencing on-and-off IT band pain for about a year now. When it first started I remember curling up in a ball and wanting to cry because I convinced myself I'd never run comfortably again. As some of you may know, for me - NOT running is quite literally not an option. This meant I had to find ways around it. While it still plagues me every now and again (usually after I've "slacked off" a little), I feel like the strategies I used to overcome it were:
- relatively easy & didn't require a ton of additional time and effort. And,
- effective within just a week or so. When it creeps back on, I kick them back into high gear.
Obviously, I am no doctor. I got most of these suggestions from websites and/or friends and chose to stick with the ones I found the most helpful. Hopefully they're helpful for you, too.
Go Get Fitted For Shoes
When I first started getting my IT band pain, I was running in Zigtech shoes. Completely aware that they are 100% a fad shoe. Anyways - I had never been fitted for running shoes & now I absolutely positively swear by it. In fact, I INSIST to people who talk to me about getting serious about running go and have themselves fitted. If you are running in the wrong shoes, it can amplify and worsen injuries - period. Find a running store in your area & let one of them find a shoe for you. They'll make you walk on a treadmill or run around in the parking lot and analyze your gait and stride. Then you'll get to do a little trial and error thing until you find a shoe you like. For me, I feel like getting into the right shoes was the first step in making things better.
When I first started getting my IT band pain, I was running in Zigtech shoes. Completely aware that they are 100% a fad shoe. Anyways - I had never been fitted for running shoes & now I absolutely positively swear by it. In fact, I INSIST to people who talk to me about getting serious about running go and have themselves fitted. If you are running in the wrong shoes, it can amplify and worsen injuries - period. Find a running store in your area & let one of them find a shoe for you. They'll make you walk on a treadmill or run around in the parking lot and analyze your gait and stride. Then you'll get to do a little trial and error thing until you find a shoe you like. For me, I feel like getting into the right shoes was the first step in making things better.
Get A Foam Roller
When I went to the running store to get fitted, I talked to the guy about my IT band pain. He got this look of excitement in his eyes (a little concerning) and went to fetch what looked like a piece of a thick, pink pool noodle. He then put it down on the ground and instructed me to lay on the ground on my left side (left knee was the one that hurt). He told me to prop myself up on my elbow, and he lifted my left leg up to slide the roller underneath.
When I went to the running store to get fitted, I talked to the guy about my IT band pain. He got this look of excitement in his eyes (a little concerning) and went to fetch what looked like a piece of a thick, pink pool noodle. He then put it down on the ground and instructed me to lay on the ground on my left side (left knee was the one that hurt). He told me to prop myself up on my elbow, and he lifted my left leg up to slide the roller underneath.
If you think it sounds awkward, imagine how I felt doing it in front of a crowded store of runners.
He then told me to place the roller right on the site of pain and put ALL of my weight onto that spot. This meant I was essentially in a sideways plank position putting all 113 of my pounds onto my IT band. It hurt so freaking bad I cannot even explain to you. He then told me to roll my body horizontally across (going almost into a push up position) to massage the area on my outer leg around to right above my knee. While it thoroughly thoroughly sucks to do and hurts more than most things I can describe with words - doing it after a run makes a tremendous difference. You just have to mentally prepare yourself for it.
The Only Stretch That Worked For Me
When you Google "Iliotibial Band Stretches" you get a bunch of different things. I tried them all probably 600-700 times each (could be a slight exaggeration). Either way, only one of them (I found) provided me with almost instant relief. When I get my IT band pain and it sticks around after my run, it's almost unbearable to sit for a long period of time and then stand up. Therefore, I use this stretch not only before and after my run, but to do kind of "spot treatments" when the pain gets bad during my daily life.
When you Google "Iliotibial Band Stretches" you get a bunch of different things. I tried them all probably 600-700 times each (could be a slight exaggeration). Either way, only one of them (I found) provided me with almost instant relief. When I get my IT band pain and it sticks around after my run, it's almost unbearable to sit for a long period of time and then stand up. Therefore, I use this stretch not only before and after my run, but to do kind of "spot treatments" when the pain gets bad during my daily life.
Basically all you need is a wall. The leg that crosses behind (in the case of the illustration, it's his right leg) should be the one that's hurting you. Put your arm onto the wall for support and lean the hip of your affected leg into the wall while leaning away from the wall with your shoulders. You should feel a pull & stretch going from your hip down your knee where the pain is.
Strengthen Your Quads & Glutes
A lot of people don't realize that IT pain can stem from muscle imbalance, as well. I see a ton of runners who just run and think that's all they need to do. If you're going to be a serious runner, especially a distance runner, you cannot neglect the rest of your body. Strength training is so important and it's one way to ensure you keep your injuries minimal.
Your IT band itself is not a muscle. However, it's functionality can depend on the muscles around it. When your quads/glutes are not strong, they'll pull on your pelvis as you run. When your pelvis gets shifted against your will, it puts stress on your IT band. Are you putting the puzzle pieces together? The stronger the muscles are that surround your IT band, the less likely you are to overcompensate and feel pain.
I recommend throwing leg presses, squats, and quad extensions into your regular workout routine. I also use an elliptical for about 15-20 minutes after my regular run twice a week now.
Use A Pro-Tec Band
I started running regularly with a Pro-Tec Iliotibial Band Wrap in about April of last year. I didn't feel confident enough to run without it until July, and I think by that point I had done enough strengthening and stretching that I had kind of worked through it. I was also running consistently 5 times a week, so it didn't have time to tighten up and get worse on me.
Either way, a Pro-Tec band can be great if you're still working on strengthening your quads and stretching out this area but you don't want to stop running. It's a special velcro band that is made to fit just above your knee and has a compression pad sewn into it to so you can target compression right on the area that hurts.
Just make sure that when you're putting it on, you're applying pressure without cutting off your circulation. As you can imagine, this can be somewhat of an uncomfortable place to have a wrap. It takes some getting used to, but it's amazing how much it alleviates the pain as you run. However, don't forget that even though it doesn't hurt while you're running - you still need to work on stretching out and strengthening to completely alleviate the problem so you don't need the band every time you run.
You can see it on my leg in this picture from 6k on the Busway back in May 2012
The most important thing to remember is never to let IT band pain take away your motivation or spirit. It's incredibly easy to stop running and return to life as usual. You'll probably get to watch a lot more Boy Meets World reruns that way. But don't do that. Take dedicated and thoughtful steps towards becoming a stronger runner and life will reward you in so, so many ways. Work through it, overcome it, and don't look back.
Keep Running,
Kelli
