Hey guys. I had a terrible episode of ITBS...I think I beat everyone on this level when I say it was so painful that it hurt to WALK for 3.5-4 weeks. Yeah. Bad. For the last 3 weeks the pain went away and I have been able to do everything...bike, elliptical, lifting, exercises for my hips/glutes, etc. I even did the water treadmill twice last week for about 15-20 minutes.
Does this mean I am ready to start running on land? I am so scared/nervous.
I had ITBS so bad once that I had to use crutches. Couldn't put weight on it at all.
Did you recovery though? Like you got past it and were able to perform again?
I'd start on the treadmill on a slight incline. The incline will take the pressure off of it and you can hop off the minute you think you feel a twinge.
It sounds like you're ready to start running, but just be mentally ready to stop if you have building pain in the area. I never had it as bad as you did, but had it to the point where walking was labored. What worked for me was taking a week off.. tons of hip and glute strength work. Like every day.. Foam rolling and then when I introduced running, I did it slowly and easily. My first run back I felt some minor soreness in the area after a few miles. I ran through it for a few minutes, it started to get slightly worse and I immediately shut it down. I stretched, foam rolled, did my exercises that night.. and tried again the following day. I was able to go a little further without much issue. I just kept going through this process for about a week until I was able to run easy without any problems. Be smart, patient, and diligent with the strength and stretching and you'll get through it.
Thanks so much. It's normal for it to be a little sore coming back?? I just am so nervous that I'll probably psychologically think I feel more than I do maybe.
I'm not sure what's normal as people's experiences probably vary. For me it was a little sore coming back, but like you, I was very nervous upon returning to running so I was hyper-aware of the area. I think running through a little soreness is ok, as long as it doesn't get worse. ITBS pain has a way of building as I'm sure you know. If you have some soreness and it starts to get build or get noticeably worse, I would stop immediately. On your first run, keep the pace easy, concentrate on good form, run on a flat, even surface and keep it short. Err on the side of overcautious. Then strengthen, foamroll/stretch and try to go a little longer the next day. For me this was the formula for beating ITBS, but i'm no expert and i've heard people say they were doing all of these things without much success.
Also, once you get rid of it, maintain the strength work. While foamrolling/stretching can help alleviate issues in the short term, I believe it's the strength training that keeps ITBS from coming back. In general, I think incorporating plenty of strength work into your running routine is the best way to stay healthy along with learning to listen to your body and understanding when to back off. Good luck.
rewq wrote:
I'd start on the treadmill on a slight incline. The incline will take the pressure off of it and you can hop off the minute you think you feel a twinge.
A treadmill could be useful for testing out if you're better but definitely don't put it on an incline.
Hills aggravate ITBS.
I found that i could actually run up a slight incline without pain when i had this. But going down triggered it instantly.
When I got the ITBS though, I was literally coming back from another injury and only running for 4 days!!! That was it. I think I may have tried to jump back into 3-5 miles too quickly, and it came out of nowhere...it wasn't a few days gradual build up............I was biking A LOT during my first injury and I feel that could have triggered it b/c I was not stretching with the biking. Could this be it? I was also running on entirely flat grounds. I was running a few times on a very small track with the curves could've aggravated it too?
I'm curious, have you seen doc and/or PT for this, and if so, what do they say? I'm coming off a stress fracture and have worked closely with my PT, following Irene Davis' research mixed with Pete Pfitzinger's.
Stephen Pribut, DPM, has a return to running program after a long injury layoff, but I would not use it until you have your doc check it out.
Yep. Saw PT/ trainers/ doctor...all said ITBS. Of course I get a terrible case when I'm hardly even running lol. I've been staying real positive though and doing all the necessary things...rested for a whole month pretty much, stretching, foam roll, strengthening of glutes and hips, ice, eating well, hydrating, etc.
I've been doing elliptical/water treadmill/lifting etc
As the above poster said, work with your medical professional. Here is a post for information only.
Good luck with your recovery, TAKE IT EASY & build back gradually:
http://www.runnersworld.com/injury-prevention-recovery/how-return-running-after-itb-injury
Runner Girl wrote:
I was biking A LOT during my first injury and I feel that could have triggered it b/c I was not stretching with the biking. Could this be it? I was also running on entirely flat grounds. I was running a few times on a very small track with the curves could've aggravated it too?
The biking could have done it. Someone i know right now got it from upping the bike mileage and intensity too much, too soon. She can barely bend her knee now and she isn't even running.
Are you doing lots of hip strengthening? This seems to be the key to getting rid of it for good.
rewq wrote:
I found that i could actually run up a slight incline without pain when i had this. But going down triggered it instantly.
I subscribe to this theory. Uphill puts less strain on ITB. Better than flat....and no downhill whatsoever.