For nearly a decade now I have been dealing with chronic Iliotibial Band Syndrome. It has been a major source of frustration for me, as well as, a limiting factor in my ability to train for cardiovascular activities. When I was in high school I was training for my second degree black belt in Tae kwon do and a part of our test was to run 10 km in under an hour. During my time training for this I first started to notice pain on the lateral side (outside) of my knee. If I kept running through the pain I would find myself barely able to walk the next couple days and in considerable pain going down stairs. This pain prevented me from continuing to run and I had to modify my belt test from a 10 km run to an hour on a spin bike with my heart rate kept above 160 beats per minute. Running had always been a joy in my life and since then it became a guessing game of whether I could run for an hour or just 10 minutes before having to walk to rest of the way home. I stopped running with friends because I felt bad about having to cut their runs short and I stopped using running as a training medium because of the fear of not being able to complete them.
For those who don’t know, the Iliotibial Band (ITB) runs along the lateral side of your thigh and crosses the hip and knee joint. It can get tight and rub the femoral epicondyle on the lateral side of the knee (the bone that sticks out a little on the outer side of your knee). This rubbing can lead to inflammation and pain which is called IT Band Syndrome (ITBS). ITBS is an overuse injury and is typically treated with rest, ice, and anti-inflammatory drugs. I tried all of these as well as stretching and massaging my ITB’s and contributing muscles with little improvement.
For more information on ITBS you can check out the following article:
There are many factors that can contribute to ITBS. There are studies out there that say that improper running shoes, poor running technique, muscle imbalances, having wider hips (females), and leg length discrepancies will increase the risk of developing and injury. There is also a battle between beliefs about flexibility. Some think that stretching the tight muscles is helpful and some believe that less flexibility is better for runners because it helps keep the body in efficient alignment. From my years in martial arts and ice skating I already had a pre-disposition with tight leg muscles and muscle imbalances and I certainly saw that as a detriment to my running. I started to wonder if I was cursed to never be able to run 10 km again, let alone a marathon, and I lost hope for many years.
About 6 months ago my brother began training for a marathon length run and succeeded in running over 30km a few times with nothing but a few blisters to show for it. Then horror struck and he too fell to the torments of ITBS after taking a couple weeks off and trying to run 30km again.
It was at this time I decided to read Born to Run by Chris McDougall. This is an incredible book about Chris’ real life adventure in Mexico trying to track down a barefoot runner, a secret running tribe, and determine the secret to running injury-free. I highly recommend this entertaining, inspirational, and educational novel to everyone. My brother took his advice to heart and started running in low-support toe shoes, massaging his ITB on a foam roller before and after each run, and modifying his running technique. Like me, he experienced the frustration that came with the guessing game that is ITBS. It didn’t matter how you changed up the variables, sometimes it would hurt and sometimes it wouldn’t.
I am happy to report that my brother is back in the world of running and successfully ran 10 km injury-free last week. I am motivated to fight ITBS with all I have and I too have a success story. In the last 3 days I tried running for 35 minutes twice and lasted without pain. I will keep you updated on my journey which will hopefully have a happy ending.
If you want to learn more about Chris McDougall and his book feel free to visit his website:
http://www.chrismcdougall.com/
UPDATE August 2012: After suffering an SI joint injury 5 months ago I have been around the block seeing Physiotherapists, Acupuncturists, Naturopaths, and my doctor to help me with my back pain. My back pain has been continuously diagnosed as the result of a twisted pelvis from years of sports that have caused muscle imbalances in my pelvis and spine. This in turn has affected the rest of my body and is a main culprit in my IT Band problems. As I continue to work on correcting my malaligned pelvis and spine I am noticing less knee pain and am hopeful that my IT Band issues will disappear with my back issues. Food for thought.
UPDATE August 2012: After suffering an SI joint injury 5 months ago I have been around the block seeing Physiotherapists, Acupuncturists, Naturopaths, and my doctor to help me with my back pain. My back pain has been continuously diagnosed as the result of a twisted pelvis from years of sports that have caused muscle imbalances in my pelvis and spine. This in turn has affected the rest of my body and is a main culprit in my IT Band problems. As I continue to work on correcting my malaligned pelvis and spine I am noticing less knee pain and am hopeful that my IT Band issues will disappear with my back issues. Food for thought.
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