Are you stretching the ITB and hip flexors after each run? Are you increasing your mileage more than normal ( ie (>10% per week?) Are yu running up hills frequently??

These are some of the contributing factors, when I had it I took a full week off at the recommendation of my physio then when i got back to it , I stretched throughly after each run, particulary the ITB and hip flexors, ran on flat ground and held back on increasing the mileage for another two weeks.

You can keep your cardio and fitness level up by swimming and biking (if the biking doesn't inflame your ITB).

Also check with a physiotherapist/sports medecine to verify the condition first.

get a foam roller and roll out your itb's all the time (and the rest of your legs while you're at it)... it can hurt pretty bad while they're really tight, but it can really help.

like these: http://www.bodytrends.com/products/therapy/foamroller.htm
the full round 36'' ones are what is in the trainers office at school...
you put your body weight on it and prop yourself up with your arms and scoot back and forth on the muscle/tendon you're trying to loosen up...

I haven't seen it stated before, but here is stating the obvious: go to a doctor. Make sure you have what you think you have. It would be a shame to be trying to heal an injury that was improperly diagnosed.

hey tim,

glad you are going to go to your doctor. you said he is your friend. that's good. is he a sports medicine orthopedic surgeon? very important you go to someone who understands the physical as well as "mental" pain you are going through as an athlete. get yourself to a good sportsmedicine physical therapist or athletic trainer afterwards. make sure they specialize in running injuries. it's so important!!!

i just recently (mid january) was diagnosed with tendonitis and IT band syndrome. it took about 6 weeks of PT (twice a week) and dilligent stretching and strengthening on my own for my injuries to subside. ( i had much more than IT band though.)

i stopped running completely for about 2 weeks. ( maybe it was 10 days). then, i couldn't take it anymore. you know what its like...that nagging voice in the back of your brain that says i gotta run, i gotta run... so slowly and carefully i started back on the treadmill. first a mile. then two, then three. always in the pain free range. the moment i felt any discomfort i got off the treadmill and went to the bike, even yoga ( that's a real stretch for me!) :D

happy to say IT band problem is completely gone. all i needed was a heel lift in the opposite shoe, good arch supports, a good pair of new running shoes which provided stability and extra cushioning, lots of stretching (hip flexors, hams, quads, calves, it band, etc.) and strengthing ( gluteus medias, and ab/adducters particularily) and some deep tissue massage. oh yeah, and ice therapy-real important. you can buy those extra large soft ice packs for home use from your physical therapist. ($20-25).

i have a half marathon coming up in 20 days. everything looks cool so far. i have been able to get up to ten miles without feeling any of those injuries haunting me. the most important things i have learned in my old age and 25 years plus of running is... listen to your body, stretch, stretch, stretch and see a specialist!!!!

good luck, keep us posted on your recovery. happy training-it isn't over-it's just beginning. :)

slowly taper, then quit running for 3 months. When you feel like it, try it again. If not, theres always fishing!

tim i would say hit a good massage thearpist if it is your IT band all you need to do is stretch and you'll be good to go in about 3-4 weeks. trust me !

Yeah Christri,
massage therapy is a great idea. :D it'll be painfull as hell-but worth it :eek: . i was screaming "bloody murder" when the therapists first worked on my legs! it definitely made a big difference! but overall, that consistant slow passive stretching everyday is what really turned my situation around and keeps me injury free now.

STRETCH, STRETCH, STRETCH!!!!

I was out 3 seasons of college running with ITB syndrome. Its a great opportunity for you to start SWIMMING a lot. Seriously. I understand how hard it is after all the hard work. The best rehab I did for it though (and still do for when I suffer from pain) is to swim. You stay in shape, it doesn't aggravate the injury and it trains you for one leg of your race.

Really take it slow coming back to running, I've made the mistake of coming back too fast way too many times. Its worth the extra time off to make sure the injury is healed.

I'm so sorry. I understand your pain -- both the physical and mental. Good luck with it. Treat it right and you'll be out there soon enough!

I don't have any practical medical advice to give. But it sounds like you're dealing with 2 issues: the physical injury and the emotions related to it.

A year ago last November I finally had surgery for a neuroma in my right foot. I actually stopped running for 7 months. It was so depressing to me because being a runner had become part of my identity. But the upside was that I took up biking to get around (it didn't hurt my foot) and swimming. It brought me to triathlon and I completed my first 2 last year.

What I learned is that I want to be active for life. I know how bad it sucks to be all trained for a race and get injured. But you don't want to injure yourself further. Just think of how many years of tri's you have ahead of you. I know it's hard to keep it in perspective now. But maybe this is the time you concentrate more on your swimming (if you can) or your biking (if you can) or working on your core which helps with all activities. And the time to concentrate on healing yourself so that you'll be able to do all those races in the future.

I did go to a knee specialist and he confirmed what I suspected. He was impressed by my knowledge of my injury. When I got to the clinic they wanted to do a MRI and I said no, I just want to talk to the doctor. The doctor laughed with me when he heard about this.

The doc moved my knee around a little then pushed on a specific spot and said does this hurt. I said yes and he said you do have ITB syndrome. He gave me options as to how to save this season and I choose an injection and a serious game plan on stretching and moderate running for a while.

The doctor said he has had the same injury before and that he is "fairly confident" that I will be fine if I don't push it. He asked how far I normally run and I said between 6 and 12 miles. He said cut that down to 3 miles to start then build on that.....sounded good to me.

I took a couple of days off completly and then rode my bike on my rollers tonight for an hour and felt great. I have to admit that I am scared of that first run since my injection. But I have put together a good stretching plan that I do 2 or 3 times a day now (I really didn't know about this ITB thing before now) My first run will be at a track and I will stop if I feel pain in that area...I will probally have this run Sunday.

I asked the doctor if I could do a sprint tri in a few weeks and he said yes. Then I asked if I could run a 1/2 marathon May 7th....he said he didn't know.

Thanks to ALL who gave their advise and VERY helpful thoughts from their own experiences.....except for the dude who said to take up fishing, lol.

I'll let you know how my 1st SHORT run goes.

Tim

PS: Doc and nurse thought I was nuts when I said the needle in the knee felt good.....some of you will understand this.

Hard to believe how important this seems, but life is more than this....nah, it's that important. I will be careful Tribro, ok.

I'm going to sleep in a Holiday Inn Express Sat night....think that will make a difference,lol?

Yeah I know. The track is rubberized and I won't get caught miles out if I do have pain.

Thanks Chris!

hey tim,
so glad it went well with the doc. i was so worried about you. you seemed so down a couple of days ago. things are looking better already, eh? now, just keep up those stretching exercises and lay low on the running. ( it's hard but worth it!) you caught your injury early, so your rehab should go smoothly. are you going to apply any ice therapy? my therapist always made me lie down for ten minutes after all the stretches were done with that cold compress on my it band. it definitely helped!

happy rehab!

amy