IT Band Injury (from running)

[3LittleBirds]

I recently started training for a 10 mile run in May. I'm a complete novice runner, although I do a fair amount of yoga, pilates, walking and I'm in decent shape. I've been following Hal Higdon's 15K novice plan for about two and a half weeks. I really love running. I managed to get to 3 miles for the first time this week. The feeling I get after running is like nothing I've experienced with any other form of exercise before. I really don't want to have to stop!

The problem is that I've been having some pain in my leg. It occurs in my left leg along the outside of my thigh. I bothers me a little while running, but the next day it is really sore. I did buy good new running sneakers, so I don't think that is the problem. After doing some research it seems like this pain could be caused by soreness in the IT band. I think I may not be stretching enough. I do a few stretches before running, but not much of anything afterwards. So I'm going to start stretching more faithfully.

Does anyone have any experience with this type of injury? How can I make the pain stop? What might be causing it? I only run three times a week and I really don't want to have to cut down on running. I would love any tips you could give me for dealing with this. Thanks!

[Brandon]

With regards to stretching-

I have found that I get more soreness and pain if I stretch beforehand. I prefer to do so after I run. Pre-run, I just make sure to have walked 5-10 minutes at a good pace, and I find some jumping up and down to be beneficial too.

I hope you find a way to cure your pain and best of luck to you on your runs!

[jaskins]

Yeah, I always stretch after I run too, I hardly ever stretch beforehand. Do you do IT band stretches? I always think those feel reeeeeaally good after a run :) It's kind of hard to describe, you basically lock your left leg and stick your right hip out to the side while keeping your weight on your left leg. I can kind of feel my hip pop out of place-ish? haha this is a terrible description so I hope you do this already or can find something that describes it better :p But anyway, stretching my IT band really helps with soreness later on.

EDIT: I just stood up and did it and I described it COMPLETELY wrong lol. lock your left leg and stick your LEFT hip out while bending your right knee. That's still horrible, ha, but at least I have the left/right directions correct now lol

[Brandon]

My favorite stretch is to lay on my back and have someone put their hand behind my knee and push it back to my chest. Really works the tension out and loosens things up.

[FitChick99]

Sounds like you might need to rest it for a little bit. A week or 2 to help heal it will be better for you in the long run. If you don't take care of it now, it will continue to bother you through out your training and will only get worse. I know you don't want to hear that...

Another stretch is to cross one leg over the other, so the outsides of your feet are touching each other, and bend over to reach for your toes. You should feel it along the outside of your back leg.

Also, try using a foam roller to loosen up the area. You will find this helpful with the rest of your training too--keeping the quads, hamstrings, calves loose. There are all kinds of exercises online for foam rollers.
http://www.performbetter.com/detail.aspx_Q_ID_E_5183_A_CategoryID_E_235

You may also want to try going to a massage therapist to help loosen up the area quick, and then he or she should be able to give you some advice.

Good luck!

[3LittleBirds]

Sounds like you might need to rest it for a little bit. A week or 2 to help heal it will be better for you in the long run. If you don't take care of it now, it will continue to bother you through out your training and will only get worse. I know you don't want to hear that...


I hate to hear this, but I know it's true. My biggest worry is that I'll rest it for a while and then as soon as I start running again, it will hurt. Like an awful never-ending cycle.

Thanks for all the good advice everyone! I've been stretching several times a day and it seems to help the soreness. I also put my heating pad on it if it's really sore in the evening. Does anyone know if heat or ice is better??

I can't wait to get back to running!!!

[jaskins]

RICE is your best bet: Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation. If you want to read into the details and the why's about it, I found this article that seems pretty helpful:

http://sportsmedicine.about.com/cs/rehab/a/rice.htm

[3LittleBirds]

Well, I took a week off and today was my first day back to running. I had been pain free for about 2 days before I started up again. I did it right! I warmed up the way Brandon described before my run. And afterwards I did extensive stretching/yoga including some of the stretches specifically for the ITB. I did feel a couple twinges in my leg while running, but nothing really painful or I would have stopped. Tomorrow will be the real test of whether I'm sore or not, but I feel great right now.

So glad to be running again!!

[jaskins]

Yay! I've grown to love running again. When I first got back into it, I HATED it, but now if I can't go run one day I get kind of sad! I don't feel too awesome while I'm running, but the feeling afterwards is fantastic :smitten:

[Brandon]

Well, I took a week off and today was my first day back to running. I had been pain free for about 2 days before I started up again. I did it right! I warmed up the way Brandon described before my run. And afterwards I did extensive stretching/yoga including some of the stretches specifically for the ITB. I did feel a couple twinges in my leg while running, but nothing really painful or I would have stopped. Tomorrow will be the real test of whether I'm sore or not, but I feel great right now.

So glad to be running again!!

:up:

I've been lax, I need to get my butt in gear and go run too.

[KellyBon]

The foam roller is your friend!!! You roll on it with your ITband on it. All the way from your hip to your knee, slowly, stopping on areas that are super sore and tight. You don' want your injury to get worse. Itband injuries take soooo long to heal. 2 years ago I was at mile 11 of A half marathon and couldn't go any farther. I had to get bussed back to the finish line. The pain was so intense I couldn't even bend my knee. Everytime I tried to run for 2 months the pain would come back. So be very careful when you up your mileage. Get on a foam roller!!!

[3LittleBirds]

The foam roller is your friend!!! You roll on it with your ITband on it. All the way from your hip to your knee, slowly, stopping on areas that are super sore and tight. You don' want your injury to get worse. Itband injuries take soooo long to heal. 2 years ago I was at mile 11 of A half marathon and couldn't go any farther. I had to get bussed back to the finish line. The pain was so intense I couldn't even bend my knee. Everytime I tried to run for 2 months the pain would come back. So be very careful when you up your mileage. Get on a foam roller!!!

Ouch, that sounds awful! You said it was two years ago. Is your IT band problem under control now? Are you still having any pain? I just hope that there is an end to this problem.

I looked at some foam rollers online and I think I'm going to pick one up. Thanks for the tip!

[KellyBon]

Yes it finally healed, but I laid off of running for over a month. I also think that strength training has helped me stay injury free lately. Squats, lunges, leg press, and a lot of work with bands. Also ice helps after a run.