My IT band is winning (and I'm determined not to let it)

[C. Beth Run.]

4 miles today--no KT tape,

4 miles today--no KT tape, just massage beforehand (my glutes have been contributing to my ITBS) and a focus on my pelvic form. No issues with my IT band (or anywhere else, for that matter!) Woo hoo!



Joshh--I'm so glad it's helping! A lot of people recommend foam rolling, and for many that gets rid of ITBS. It wasn't enough for me but foam rolling and other "self massage" techniques have still been a crucial part of my recovery plan. (I might have stopped running if it wasn't for my foam roller.) Also, that form change I'm making (see the Chi Running links I posted in the first post) is, I think, going to make a huge difference for me. Good luck!!

 

[Barefoot TJ]

Yeah, Beth!  That is

Yeah, Beth! That is tremendous!

 

[twinkletoes]

Ditto Yay Beth- love it when

Ditto Yay Beth- love it when a pain issue resolves!

Hey, have you heard of the Theracane? I just got one and it is my new best friend for trigger points: especially the tough-to-reach-ones.

 

[C. Beth Run.]

twinkletoes wroteitto Yay

Ditto Yay Beth- love it when a pain issue resolves! Hey, have you heard of the Theracane? I just got one and it is my new best friend for trigger points: especially the tough-to-reach-ones.

I hope it's resolved! I'm taking it run by run right now since this is something that has been intermittent. If I feel good for a few weeks of runs, I think I'll consider it resolved!

As for the Theracane, I've heard great things about it from a relative. She used it for a neck injury. I'm not going to buy it now but am keeping it in mind if I need to access an area that I can't get to. I did buy one of the massage balls made by Trigger Point. (They sell them at the clinic I'm going to.) I'd seen them online and thought they were RIDICULOUSLY expensive; why not just use my trusty tennis ball?! But I became a believer when I used one at the clinic. It has this cool hard point on them that can really dig in. It was $25 but I shouldn't have to replace it any time soon. I wanted to get the Footballer which is just AWESOME for calves/soleus, but it's only sold in sets and is quite pricey. I'm using the massage ball on my calves, using the techniques they taught me, and it's working so much better than my foam roller for that area.

 

[twinkletoes]

I totally respect wanting to

I totally respect wanting to keep things within budget or in my case- free. My favorite golf ball, which I borrowed from my dad was then lifted by my neighbors' 18 month old who lost it. They had an extra Theracane and it was my consolation gift. hee hee

 

[C. Beth Run.]

Oh, I would TOTALLY take a

Oh, I would TOTALLY take a free Theracane. :love:

 

[Longboard]

OK, ready for this?When I

OK, ready for this?

When I first heard about the Theracane, I knew it was for me. So my wife ordered one for my birthday probably 15 years ago. I use it on everything, and highly recommended it to friends and relatives.

I would never ever even dream of taking a driving vacation/trip without it.

Diane and I were riding our tandem bicycle during rush hour many years ago and I just had to slam on the brakes.

I could SWEAR I saw a Theracane lying in the road, but knew it had to be a mirage.

It wasn't, and I became the proud owner of a back-up Theracane in blue, with a few scratches, to nicely complement my pristine black one.

A Theracane for free! I TOTALLY took it as well!

 

[C. Beth Run.]

What is up with the free

What is up with the free Theracanes?! Send me some of that luck, twinkletoes & Longboard!!

 

[Barefoot TJ]

Beth, me too.

Beth, me too.

 

[twinkletoes]

Thanks for the first good

Thanks for the first good giggle of the day!

I hereby send ya'll free-Theracane JuJu.

 

[C. Beth Run.]

I am open and receiving of

I am open and receiving of your Free Theracane JuJu. :davie:

I had my 2nd appointment today. It was great. Partially because I had a friend watching my kids this time and they weren't interrupting over and over so I could referree between them. :-D I learned more strengthening exercises specifically for my issues; the chiro did more Active Release Therapy, and we reviewed the trigger point therapy I'm doing. Also did some electrical stimulation; no idea if it works but probably doesn't hurt. With all the at-home stuff they're teaching me (the exercises & trigger point stuff), this place is right up my alley--I love it there.

 

[Joshh]

Hello all.  Went out and did

Hello all. Went out and did a pretty leisurely 4 or 5 miles on a pretty steep trail and half way through my IT band flared up. Not real bad but not real good either. This was after almost a whole week of not running (torture). Having never had a single knee issue running before I'm feeling pretty discouraged. Been doing the yoga exercises Nate recommended and the series of exercises from the RW website. I guess it's time to suck it up and get a gym membership. I do my best to not buy "stuff" for running.

 

[C. Beth Run.]

Joshh--I'm sorry to hear

Joshh--I'm sorry to hear that! I've had 2 good runs in a row. Not enough for me to proclaim my ITBS gone, but enough to give me hope. Focusing on my pelvic form + trigger point therapy + Active Release Therapy at the chiro. Maybe check into some of that? Good luck!!

 

[Barefoot TJ]

Isn't there some kind of PT

Isn't there some kind of PT or deep tissue massage you can get/do?

 

[Jimmy Hart]

you don't need a gym

you don't need a gym membership unless you just want one. doing the leg exercises i recommended earlier in this post with just your body weight will almost assuredly get get rid of your problems. i know it's crazy but those exercises are specifically selected to strengthen the areas that are most commonly weak when someone has IT band issues. i've been doing this for 14 years and i can almost guarantee it will work. there is always the few exceptions to the rule but this has been my go to set for my clients for years and my clients run pain free.

 

[Joshh]

Great, thanks Jimmy.  I'll go

Great, thanks Jimmy. I'll go back and have another look. I'm all ears when you say something but somehow got sidetracked. Definitely don't want a gym membership if I can avoid it. I wonder if bf'ers are more or less to prone to ITBS?

 

[Barefoot TJ]

I think ITBS is something

I think ITBS is something people get from running shod. Some people are able to get rid of it by running barefoot, while for others it lingers with them longer, perhaps due to the level of damage. I believe it would be very rare to get ITBS from running barefoot. I gather this from all the many posts I've read about it in the past two years.

 

[Abide]

I think one of the reasons

I think one of the reasons bfr helps is the shift to an upright posture. I remember how much I used to bend forward at the waist when I ran in shoes. I think the tension this caused in my glutes and hams was what casued my itbs.

 

[Blind Boy]

TJ, I've had IT band issues

TJ, I've had IT band issues this year. The first time it happened I hadn't worn shoes for running in 1.5 months and even then the shoes in question were VFFs. I've had it pop up from time to time since then as well and shoes or no seem to make no difference. I have a feeling I'm an exception to the rule though, it seems to be a lot more common among the shod folk at least.

 

[Joshh]

OK, thanks for the input TJ,

OK, thanks for the input TJ, Abide and Blindboy. I guess this will be a thread in progress then. Maybe over time we'll be able to get a wider view into it. I was asking because I essentially didn't run at all in almost 20 years then when I started back up (100% bare foot) I came down with ITBS.

I suffered a pretty bad surfing injury about three years ago to my groin so I can't help but think that it might be related. It was a deep stab wound that missed my femoral artery by a 1/4 of an inch. It was on my left side which is the side I've been experiencing pain. I went on a very mellow two miler with my daughter (bf'er in training!) today and it started to bug me half way through.