lucKY2b wrote:
I'm a little concerned for AlanB; it was precisely in that locale that I developed persistent tendinitis/tendinosis oh those many years ago when I quit running @ age 20. Proceed cautiously would be my only advice.
Thanks for the concern. Trust me, I learned my lesson from the bout with Achilles tendinitis - I won't try to train through this one.
I have never had IT band syndrome, but I know plenty who have. From hearsay the things that work are rest, stretching, foam roller, massage, EMS. A typical feature is that pain starts at a consistent point in every run, after say three or four miles. I have a pet theory that any running is damaging, even the first 3-4 pain-free miles. What I believe happens is it takes a while for the inflammation to exceed some threshold where it causes pain.
My threshold is around 40 minutes of running or walking or any combination. I've experimented with runs as short as 20 mins, but it didn't work out, thus somewhat confirming my IT band theory. So far the most effective treatment has been the elliptical, followed by Yoga, then stretching, then ... nothing. Next week I'm trying the massage therapist. My working theory is that some calf muscle has over-compensated, the four step path to normalcy is (1) de-train to soften that muscle, (2) remodel through massage etc., (3) rehabilitate through specific strength exercises, (4) re-train.
It's not all bad news. The recent low volume means my right hip is feeling great.