Ok I’m having ITB pain at about 5km while running. Need to get to the VET and get it sorted says the mrs. Slightly putting it off partly because of the weather and because it hurts to run and and partly because I think it might hurt to get it mended by the physio. Anyone had any issues they’ve managed to resolve?

Sorry this should clearly be in the Chat forum but I can’t edit it.

I sorted mine myself. I used a combination of hamstring and calf stretches (three times a day – didn’t hurt) and using a 2 litre fizz bottle full of water as a roller. You do a side plank and then roll your side thigh over the coke bottle (really hurts!). You are effectively doing a deep tissue massage. I was mobile again after about 2 weeks if memory serves.

Rollering. I used a bit of old plastic pipe about 5″ in diameter. Rolled from just below the hip bone towards the knee. The fist half dozen sessions it hurt like hell and was very knotty. It got easier and my ITB pain went. I only use the roller once in a while now.

My leg’s mostly messed up from old injuries/surgery so I don’t know if I’m typical… I had my itb unmangled quite recently by a sports masseur (qualified physio) and yep it was pretty sore at times. But absolutely worth it!

Ok i could cope with rollering it out firmly with coke. (Do you need ice and jack daniels?) 😉

foam roller.

you will weep.

you will weep

+1 cry like a baby.

Foam roller, stretching and strenthening exercises – I was told one of the reasons for my ITB pain was very weak hamstrings from cycling and I think weak muscles around my hips too…..

I have given up with it though – weeks and weeks of exercises every night, plus stretching, plus foam rolling made no difference for me.
I have tried on and off, but always get dishearterned that results don’t seem forthcoming. Been to see about 5 physio’s who all have their own take on it, gait analysis with insoles, money spent on stability running shoes, sports massage etc. and nothing seems to work.
Am gonna try again with the stretching and roller once I shake of the current cold I have, but am not holding out much hope. I have considered acupuncture, but haven’t actually tried it.

I’ve got one of these http://www.triggerpointuk.com/home?gclid=CPGj9b_78LsCFfFz4godQw0A2g

Agree re “cry like a baby”, but it does feel good after.

Bear in mind you cant “stetch” your ITB as it is adhered to the bone!

The issue is due to inflamation of the ITB where it moves over the bony spur at the side of your knee. Its inflamed so it brushes against the bone causing pain. You have to remove the inflammation and stretching and foam roller etc may feel that you are doing something but there probably of little benefit. Rest, ICE and Anti inflammatories will help you may want consider your shoes etc whilst I believe people adapt if you are using say a “control” shoe this may have a negative impact same if you are using a very light or flat shoe etc. It may be contributing factor as may be weak Gluteus medius muscles.

I had an ITB massage from a physio, the chatty conversation tailed off about halfway through coz I couldn’t speak. Painful, but only for 10 minutes or so of the 20 minute massage.

Followed up by rolling on a piece of 5″ pipe (I use 5″ underground soil pipe wrapped in a layer of sleepmat}. Hurts when you start, I could manage about 3 rolls. I now do 20 rolls each leg 3 times a week with no pain, and more importantly, no ITB problems.

Occasional sports massage on my legs, and plenty of stretching and core work and bodyweight strength exercises. Seems that when you get to my age it’s the only way to keep going!

+1 on the foam rollering, stretching and exercises to generally improve core strength, hamstrings and lower back (tho I do all that for back issues anyway).

I also reduced my level of exercise, cycled a bit less and for less time – stopping as soon as there was any discomfort at all. This seems to help a lot. Doing nothing at all made it worse tho.

Roller stopped hurting much after a while, I didn’t roll through the pain too much but it still cleared up.

I used to suffer form ITB cycling, then our club coach suggest I moved my saddle forward a bit. It pretty much vanished overnight and has never reoccurred.

surfer – Member
Bear in mind you cant “stetch” your ITB as it is adhered to the bone!

Only at one end – the knee end.
At the other end it attaches to a muscle and as I understand it, ITB stretches are actually stretching that muscle.

There’s a good diagram here:

http://www.marathonrookie.com/iliotibial-band-syndrome.html

It’s the tensor fasciae latae muscle that the ITB is attached to that you are stretching (erm, I think)….

The issue is due to inflamation of the ITB where it moves over the bony spur at the side of your knee. Its inflamed so it brushes against the bone causing pain.

I was told that there is a sac of fluid near where your ITB joins your knee that acts as a cushion and it is this sac that actually gets inflamed and painful.

Althought none of the physio’s have sorted my problem, so perhaps they don’t know as much as they let on!
One of them is pretty renowned and was apparently part of the sports medical team for GB at the Beijing Olympics, so I had high hopes but all she did was a bit of ultra-sound, said it was indeed inflamed, referred me for gait analysis and to a physio, before charging my work health care package £120 for 15mins work…..!

It’s the tensor fasciae latae muscle that the ITB is attached to that you are stretching (erm, I think)….

And thats a good thing? Yes not all the ITB is adhered at both ends there is a small section that is not.

I dont think that page is a good resource.

I was told that there is a sac of fluid near where your ITB joins your knee that acts as a cushion and it is this sac that actually gets inflamed and painful.

In that case how will stretching/rollering the ITB help?

I think the focus needs to be on reducing that inflammation.

Foam roller, stretching and strenthening exercises – I was told one of the reasons for my ITB pain was very weak hamstrings from cycling and I think weak muscles around my hips too…..

I have given up with it though – weeks and weeks of exercises every night, plus stretching, plus foam rolling made no difference for me.
I have tried on and off, but always get dishearterned that results don’t seem forthcoming. Been to see about 5 physio’s who all have their own take on it, gait analysis with insoles, money spent on stability running shoes, sports massage etc. and nothing seems to work.
Am gonna try again with the stretching and roller once I shake of the current cold I have, but am not holding out much hope. I have considered acupuncture, but haven’t actually tried it.

This is pretty much the only reason I started MTB’ing, I used to be a competitive runner and suffered awfully with ITBS, tried everything, couldn’t solve it, gave up and started cycling. It doesn’t seem to effect my biking, I can go as long and as far as I like on the bike.

This is pretty much the only reason I started MTB’ing, I used to be a competitive runner and suffered awfully with ITBS, tried everything, couldn’t solve it, gave up and started cycling. It doesn’t seem to effect my biking, I can go as long and as far as I like on the bike.

Ditto it was pretty much the end of my running career (as modest as it was) it eventually cleared up on its own after about 12 months. No amount of treatment helped.

In that case how will stretching/rollering the ITB help?

I think the focus needs to be on reducing that inflammation.

The stretching / rollering stops it happening again. As a short term fix you can take Ibuprofen to reduce the inflammation of the fluid sac, but this is treating a symptom rather than the cause.

i am currently being treated for this. Started as a niggle a few months ago but i kept running and then got to the point i could barely walk. A bit embarrassing walking through cambridge city centre in running vest and shorts with a race number pinned to my front 😳

Have been having physio which consists of painful massage on my leg and also doing excercises for my weak hip muscles. Seems to be getting better, but yet to test it properly. Also been advised to roller at home, but no amount of rollering would do what the physio did.

Foam rollering worked for my lateral knee pain (whatever it actually was) and concentrating on not dropping my unsupported hip whilst running. Also not pushing my thigh too far back.

Accupuncture worked for me. Much less painful than accupressure.

Foam roller is working for me and I’m back running again though only short distances at the moment. It’s only ever gone once on the bike and that meant a one legged ride 12 miles home. I couldn’t even keep my foot on the pedal for most of the ride which made it challenging. It started in the first place I think from increasing my running distance in to large a step and the fact that it was off road on uneven ground.

The stretching / rollering stops it happening again.

Are you sure about that? Its more likely to be a biomechanical/muscle imbalance issue. There is little evidence that stretching achieves anything and it can be counter productive.

As a short term fix you can take Ibuprofen to reduce the inflammation of the fluid sac, but this is treating a symptom rather than the cause.

Not true. I had one episode and once it disappeared it never came back. reducing the inflammation in this example is “curing” the injury.

surfer – Member

It’s the tensor fasciae latae muscle that the ITB is attached to that you are stretching (erm, I think)….

And thats a good thing? Yes not all the ITB is adhered at both ends there is a small section that is not.

I dont think that page is a good resource.

I was told that there is a sac of fluid near where your ITB joins your knee that acts as a cushion and it is this sac that actually gets inflamed and painful.

In that case how will stretching/rollering the ITB help?

I think the focus needs to be on reducing that inflammation.

I have put your bits in bold, just to make the quoting thing a bit clearer.

As I understand it (and I could be wrong), the ITB doesn’t stretch – it’s like a steel cable, essentially. But at the top of that it connects to a muscle, which can be stretched.
So, it’s a bit like having a length of steel cable, that is attached to a bungee cord; so while the ITB can’t stretch, the system as a whole can via the muscle at the top of the ITB. And the end of the steel cable is attached to your knee, while the end of the muscle is attached to your hip. These are the only attachment points.

When that whole assembly (for want of a better word) becomes tight, the ITB inflames the sac of fluid on the outside of your knee as it passese back and forth over it when you flex your knee. The inflammation occurs because the ITB is pulled taut and rubs harder than it should do. A physio once proved to me it was my ITB by putting me in a standing bent knee position on one leg and then getting me to move my hips back and forth – I could actually feel the ITB twanging back and forth past the outside of my knee, and there was quite a lot of discomfort. He was trying to demonstrate the reason that running makes the problem worse.
This rubbing can also be exacerbated by bow legs, poor hip/pelvis position, feet that pronate excessively etc.

If you can stretch the ITB/muscle system as a whole, it doesn’t pass over the sac of fluid with as much tension, so it doesn’t irritate it as much. A two pronged attack is probably needed with reduction of the inflammation, while also trying to stretch the area concerned to relieve the tension. I was offered cortisone injections in my knee as a temporary way of relieving the inflammation, but I was told it would only be a temporary relief so didn’t really see the point.

cbmotorsport

– it is interesting to hear that you are in the same boat as me and have been unable to clear it up.
I also used to run competitively when i was younger, running for school/borough/Thames Valley Harriers and then at uni as well. My problems only started after I also started cycling, which makes me wonder if it is something to do with my muscles tightening up around my hips/glutes as a result of the cycling action.

MoreCashThanDash – Member
Accupuncture worked for me. Much less painful than accupressure.

Interesting – perhaps I will look into some acupuncture. My Dad used to have acupuncture to relax his right arm, which is always very tense after a stroke. It helped him a lot.

EDIT – I put a link to that website purely for the diagram. I have not looked any further into whether it is a ‘good’ resource or not. Sorry for any confusion.

Hi Stumpy

I dont doubt the connectivity explanation etc however it comes back to one thing and that is “stretching” I wouldnt go as far as to say I dont think it ever works but I dont think it is a “silver bullet” however it is the de facto recommendation for anything injury related.
Achilles Tendon injuries can be significantly worsened by stretching for example but people are more than happy to suggest it as a treatment.

If you can stretch the ITB/muscle system as a whole, it doesn’t pass over the sac of fluid with as much tension, so it doesn’t irritate it as much

Is there evidence for this. Do muscles stretch in the way that you describe and if they do does that mean they lengthen? if so how long does it last and how long do I need to stretch for to get this affect?

I foolishly had an injection in mine. Did no good.

I put a link to that website purely for the diagram. I have not looked any further into whether it is a ‘good’ resource or not. Sorry for any confusion.

Dont apologise! I just note it perpetuated another myth about running on hard surfaces!

surfer – Member

Is there evidence for this. Do muscles stretch in the way that you describe and if they do does that mean they lengthen? if so how long does it last and how long do I need to stretch for to get this affect?

Over time, it is my belief that they do lengthen with regular stretching but I don’t really have any evidence of this, apart from my own anecdotal results…..
When I was a member of a Bannatyne’s gym, they had a really good class on a Thursday evening called Dynamic Stretching. The woman who ran it admitted to me that it was basically a yoga class aimed at stretching and strength-building poses, but it was described as ‘dynamic stretching’ to try and get more blokes to turn up.
I went reguarly for over a year until I left the gym (it was too expensive) and found that my flexibility has increased no end. I can only put this down to my muscles lengthening allowing me to reach further and get into positions I hadn’t been able to previously. There was still a long way to go though, unfortunately! I have since bought yoga DVD’s but they are much harder to regularly do, compared to a class that is at a fixed time every week.

I don’t know about the longevity of stretching, but I think that certain types of exercise tends to cause muscles to shorten, particularly if you are only using that muscle over a limited range. If you don’t regularly stretch those muscles out, they shorten. That’s the way it seems to me, anyway.

I think for me to sort my IT bands, it requires such a protracted amount of constant stretching and strengthening that I am never able to reliably keep it up for a long enough period of time. The fact that I am primarily sat at my desk for work and spend about 1hr 40 mins in the car each day doesn’t help!

So I was right. It is gonna hurt.

So I was right. It is gonna hurt.

Yes but if it makes you feel better you’ll be making me feel better if it’s hurting you more than it hurts me. So make sure you report back with just how unpleasant it is. 🙂

I don’t run, but was getting trouble cycling. It seemed to all start after going for a Strava sprint segment. I’ve had regular massages which did feel like they helped and were painful at times. I was also getting a pain in my hip which I’m sure was connected to the ITB, it was a constant pain, not just on the bike.

I had problems for over a year and in addition to the massages have tried making sure my legs are wrapped up well (problems seemed worse in Winter than Summer), not going flat out as soon as I leave the house and Emu oil capsules. Also, until it starts to feel better, take it really easy, I was originally told to keep cycling, but keep on the flat and go slowly. Since I started taking the Emu oil, it’s the longest period I’ve been without any problems and the hip pain has also gone.

I tried a foam roller, but couldn’t get on with it (the one linked to above).

Is there evidence for this. Do muscles stretch in the way that you describe and if they do does that mean they lengthen?

The only explanation for improved flexibility / range of motion from stretching be it Yoga or otherwise (that I can see are):

1. Muscles / tendons stretch (either as a system or individually)
2. Bones stretch

Personally I reckon it’s 1.

The only explanation for improved flexibility / range of motion from stretching be it Yoga or otherwise (that I can see are):

1. Muscles / tendons stretch (either as a system or individually)
2. Bones stretch

How does that help the OP? Assuming muscles stretch (which is debatable) is there any evidence to show that “stretched” muscles protect against injury or the act of stretching promotes injury recovery?