Barefoot running curing ITBS?

[Barefoot Gentile]

This might be coincidence but since running strictly barefoot for the last two months, my IT band has been feeling much better. I am also probably jinxing myself writing this but it's true. I came across a article by Michael Sandler, and he mentioned how he always suffered ITB issues running in shoes, but once he started running barefoot it was cured.

I no longer get the pain in the knee, but during a medium long run my band still gets tight.

 

[Abide]

It did for me as well. And

It did for me as well. And it hasn't come back even at faster speeds and longer distances.

 

[Norm Deplume]

 I never had it before,  but

I never had it before, but I do now. I think it's the VFFs







(I'm sure it couldn't be my habit of sitting crosslegged while at the computer or my weak knees, I'm sure)

 

[mokaman]

 I've thought barefoot cured

I've thought barefoot cured IT band also, I have no proof or anything but I had IT band with shoes a couple times when I over did the miles but only when wearing trainers.

A few years ago I had IT band when I was already a barefoot runner but had stopped running for a few months then went on an unplanned long 12 mile run. I wore a pair of regular trainer type shoes because that is all I had with me at the time...this was a stupid stupid thing I did on the shoes and mileage. I got a bad IT band injury from that one run and couldn't run for least 2 months...those trainers went in the trash so I would never be tempted to wear them again. Even when I've over did it badly barefoot I have never had the IT band come back...maybe its just coincidence but I think the thick heeled shoes amplify this kind of injury.

 

[nature runner]

ITB was one of the main

ITB was one of the main reasons I quit running to start with, besides the car crash. Since I been barefoot walking, bf hiking, and bfr, it seems to have not came back yet, and I hope it doesn't.

 

[Jimmy Hart]

 yes the barefoot action can

yes the barefoot action can help get rid of itbs. the reasoning is the length and tension ratios of the muscles between the different forms. heel striking lengthens the leg to impact which sends a shocking force through the knee and typically once it leaves the knee on it's trip up the leg it's the it band that catches the brunt of it. this causes irritation to the area which then reacts by tightening and getting shorter. that in turn causes other muscular reactions that then shut a runner down.

barefoot or minimalist form as we all know sends you towards the front of the foot therefore eliminating the shock upon footfall so the leg does not have to respond to those forces so you don't have the many issues that go into and come from your it band being stressed.

there's more to it but that's the basic gist of it

 

[saypay45]

I'm bringing this thread back

I'm bringing this thread back because I've been having the opposite experience as of late. During my long runs I've been having IT band issues after I stop running, or when stopping for breaks during my run. This last weekend it flared up after a 16 mile run and I could barely walk. Seems better after my 3 mile run yesterday.

I'm not sure what I'm doing exactly to cause the issue. I am usually doing about 10-12 miles barefoot and then switching to VFFs for the last few miles because the last leg of my runs has some rough chipseal that isn't pleasant after running for two hours.

I just finished a marathon in VFFs in June. I used to do all of my long runs in VFFs, but have switched to barefoot for most to train for a barefoot half marathon in a few weeks. Otherwise I am barefoot all the time and have been for a long time.

Any thoughts?

 

[Barefoot TJ]

Do you only have this pain

Do you only have this pain once/after you've put on the VFFs? Have you ever handled a long, long run just barefoot; and if so, did you have the pain flare up then?

 

[saypay45]

You know, now that you

You know, now that you mention it I only seem to get the pain after long runs in VFFs. The weird thing is that it's never happened to me before the last couple of weeks, and I'm not going anywhere near the distance I used to go in VFFs.

It's only when I do the barefoot/VFF combo (so far) that my IT band flairs up. Only VFFs, or only barefoot....no.

 

[Barefoot TJ]

I asked because I've run 3

I asked because I've run 3 times now in my new Bikilas, and each time, I have experienced some pain issue. The first time, I started to get blisters at the backs of my heels and developed a hot spot at the base of my left big toe. The next time I ran, I pulled my left hamstring and my right Achilles into the heel. The last time I ran in them, I came down too hard on my heels as I was running (almost 6 miles), and had been sore like PF two days after that.

It seems I can only run my best when I am barefoot.

 

[saypay45]

Well yesterday I ran 5 miles

Well yesterday I ran 5 miles barefoot and was feeling the old IT band near the end of the run. It didn't really flare up until I ran on a rougher surface and bent my knees a lot more. I think that alteration of my form for long distances is what is causing the pain. I'm going for a run in VFFs tonight to see if that has an impact as well.

 

[snowshoe_hare]

Running in VFFs or barefoot

Running in VFFs or barefoot DOES, I think, help with ITBS issues...



I have suffered greatly from ITBS in the past... Indeed, it's the reason I checked out Jason's barefoot clinic (not that I was having problems at the time... curious mostly and looking for the "magic bullet" solution...)



Anyways, LET US NOT FORGET that ITBS is an OVERUSE injury...



I think heel-striking, over-striding, and the like will bring it on earlier...



But NOT RECOVERING, including tight muscles, poorly hydrated muscles, mis-aligned joints, and the like will DEFINITELY put one at risk for ITBS...



I realize that barefoot running DOES NOT MAKE ME BULLET-PROOF... One must still train in an intelligent manner, eh?!?!



I am guilty of this as I tend to RAMP UP THE MILEAGE at times........ Stay healthy, eh!?!?

 

[Barefoot TJ]

I was going to say, don't you

I was going to say, don't you think it's a little early to be running again? Since you are having problems, shouldn't you at least take a day or two to rest? If you're troubleshooting whether it is the BFR or the MR, you aren't going to know when you are running back-to-back days like that. Seems to me the injury is running back-to-back as well. Rest, my friend.

 

[Dirty Toes Joe]

I get ITB pain once in a

I get ITB pain once in a while. If I stop and stretch it the pain usually goes away for a while. I've had to stop a few times on a 4 mile run in the past. I attribute it largely to running on one side of the road (the crown of the road causing my stride to be uneven) It's weird, though, because I run the same place all the time, and some days I get it, some days I don't.

It always happens on my left side. I used to get it worse, and in both legs, when I ran in shoes though.

Like Norm, I'm sure it could have nothing to do with me sitting cross legged everywhere.

 

[saypay45]

Ain't no rest during marathon

Ain't no rest during marathon training! Just kidding, I actually took about three days off after the "incident", and didn't run on it until there was absolutely no pain. I am actually taking another rest day or two per my schedule and just watching myself on my next long run to see how I do. I will be stopping if the IT flares up. I know better than to run myself into injury. Have never been there, and I'm never going.

IMO my soreness has nothing to do with VFFs versus barefoot. It's only flaring up when I use my quad muscles more...i.e. on rough surfaces or when I pick up my speed and thus bend my legs more. It's likely overuse per snowshoe's comment. I didn't have this problem until after my marathon in June. Even then, it only happens on long runs. Stretching seems to work for now....and my mom brought me a foam roller from her work. Pure awesomeness!

I'm also using my VFFs on my long runs so that my form doesn't deteriorate quite so much. When my feet start hurting I tend to bend my knees more, and that's where I think it comes from.

 

[C. Beth Run.]

My foam roller was hugely

My foam roller was hugely helpful with my ITBS (when I was shod.) A friend who is a trainer (and also an Ironman triathlete.... She's had some overuse injuries!) gave me some advice that helped a lot with the foam roller.

When you use it on your quads, lay on it facedown with only one leg on the roller at a time. Keep your chest low, near the floor. Start at the top of the quad, and bend your knee (lifting your foot up to your butt) three times. Pulse-pulse-pulse. Roll just a bit so the roller is hitting the spot just below where you just were, and bend that lower leg back again. Pulse-pulse-pulse. Do that on the whole "front" quad until you get down to where you're just above the knee. Then rotate a bit so you're working the quad muscle that's in between the IT band and the "top" part of your leg. Do the pulsing thing on that whole muscle too, rolling up just a bit each time. For the IT band, you can't really pulse since you're sideways, so you have to roll it. But doing the pulsing thing on my quads was SO helpful to me. It really worked out all those tight spots.

I will admit that my shod feet had gotten my poor quads so tight that I literally had flashbacks to natural childbirth when I was using the foam roller in this way! It was very painful because I was so tight. But after I'd done it a few times it was much easier. I still use the foam roller at least a few times a week on my quads...though lately I've been using it even more often on my calves as I adjust to barefoot running!

 

[saypay45]

That's awesome advice

That's awesome advice C.Beth. I have just been kind of guessing how to use the foam roller. It is working fine, but I think with your method it will be even better. My left quad is so tight you'd think I just ran a marathon on one leg.

 

[C. Beth Run.]

Hope it works, saypay, let me

Hope it works, saypay, let me know!

I've also seen someone (Jimmy, maybe?) on this forum writing about foam rollers. How you aren't supposed to just roll; you need to roll and when you hit a tight spot, spend 20 seconds working out that spot. That's more of the "everyday" method I usually use now. The "pulse" thing works so well but it does take awhile and sometimes bothers my knees (though that will probably be much less of an issue now that my knees are happy because I'm BF!) I still use the "pulse" method occasionally if I get extra-tight though; hopefully it will work as well for you as it did for me.

 

[saypay45]

Here's an interesting tidbit

Here's an interesting tidbit I learned from the ultrarunning forum on RW about one's form with IT problems.

A guy who was training for a 50 miler over there and suffering from ITBS would change his form to include an exaggerated push off whenever his IT band flared up. He said that when he did that, his IT band pain disappeared in a minute or so and he was able to continue his run.

Since I've been back out on the road after taking a week off from ITBS, I've tried out his method. Of course, I can't push off without tearing up my feet. I am making an effort to lengthen the back end of my stride though. It's really working out. No pain in the IT band at all. I assume this is because the change in form takes pressure off your IT band and puts it more on the glute, which is where it probably belongs anyway.

Running barefoot already seems to help IT problems because it prevents us from overstriding. But for those who still suffer like me, this is a great trick. Hopefully it will guide me through my planned half marathon in a week. I feel awesome coming back from that rest week!

 

[Barefoot TJ]

That's great news, SP!  Let

That's great news, SP! Let us know how it goes with your new trick.