IT Band....Surgery?

Have you taken time completely off?

Not lowered mileage but completely off.

I have tried everything for ITB problems with reduced mileage and it never worked. Once I completely stopped it was always fine within 3 weeks

Say no to the knife

ITBVet- how bad was your problem? What if you can't run at ALL? I keep trying it out every few days, but after a mile or less it kills to the point where I have to stop. I am now completely resting it- no cross training even. I am hoping it clears up with continued stretching and massage therapy.

I didnt run for a straight month b4 that I greatly decresed my mileage.

First off, demand an MRI before you go under the knife. I was being treated for WEEKS for ITBS only to learn it was a misdiagnosis of a much more serious injury. My Schools Doc. (a terrible doctor who should lose his liscence) would have been content to continue my ITBS treatment but I because such a pain in the ass that I got an MRI. At that point, you will know that it is ITBS and can go ahead and have surgery if need be. I know several people who had ITBS surgery and came back fine to do very well (all american etc)

Try upping the mileage and running through it first, seriously.

A long time training partner of mine had the surgery, it was 4 years ago, this guy was running upwards of 150 mps. Now whenever he ties to up his milage, it hurts worse than before the surgery, he hasnt run more than 20mpw since the surgery and hasnt raced either. This was a sub 2:30 marathoner. Try absolutely everything before you get surgery, accupuncture etc.

lay on your side on top of a tennis ball and move back and forth. Hurts like hell but works.

Take up Yoga and Pilates. Surgery is your last resort, remember doctors make money off cutting ya.

You obviously have never suffered from accute ITBS.

I have had chronic problems with my ITBS and the things that I have found that work are the Foam Roller. BUy one and roll on it all the time. More recently I have tried Active Release Therapy and Graston Technique which is supposed to help break up adhesions and scar tissue that has formed. I have used this on my ITBS and my hamstrings and it has helped a great deal. I have tried acupuncture for other injuries and I have found that it does help reduce pain. In my experience orthopedics and physicians are usually no help unless it is something that requires surgery. I would definitely try other things first!!!

I almost had the surgery my junior year in college. i could run for about 6 minutes before I felt like a knife was being jabbed into the insertion point of the IT band at the knee. I had cortisone shots 3 times and it would help for about 5 days then I was back at square one.

I found a great massage therapist who worked with elite runners and had seen the problem before(mark lindsay and David oconner in toronto) and they fixed me by working from the foot up.

Be leary of orthopedic surgeons and doctors work with the general public find someone who works with runners

HAVE YOU TRIED STRENGTHENING EXERCISES FOR YOUR HIP ADDUCTORS AND ABDUCTORS?

I have ITBS and tried the PattStrap some time ago.. and it stopped the pain... I always wondered how and why it worked so well for me. I was searching around the net and came across this article with a section: What a Counter-force Strap Can (and Can’t) Do.. I wanted to share this with you since I know knee pain gets most of us at some point..

It is a very good article in Running Times on ITBS and how products like the PattStrap work and why they work written by Joseph J. Kolb, head athletic trainer of Gallup (NM) High School and has served as an athletic trainer with USA Track & Field.

http://www.runningtimes.com/issues/99oct/knees.htm

http://www.pattstrap.com

I wear the pattstrap any time I am doing any type of exercise or running which may cause my it band to flair up.

To quote that article “The principle behind a counter-force strap is to compress the tendons surrounding the knee. This can redistribute tension, thus decreasing the localized stress any particular tendon must assume while contracting. There is evidence that a counter-force strap helps keep the patella and patella tendon properly aligned. It also is effective in reducing the friction caused by the ITB passing over the outside of the knee..” …. “The device reduces pain and inflammation, allowing you to train more comfortably, but it will not cure your injury.”

The nice thing about the PattStrap verse other straps I have tried is that the material is not made from neoprene or rubber.. it is a special foam, so as you sweat, it absorbs it and keeps the strap in place unlike the other brands. I find it is also very comfortable to wear and run in and it very thin so it does not get in the way and very light weight.

So use the strap to kill the pain, but remember to stretch stretch stretch… I also find other products like the foam roller or the stick to be good to use after a run. But I do not run without strapping up first.

great posts.

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I've had IT band surgery. I'm a sophomore in college and I just got the surgery done this past July. I had problems with it my senior year of high school but ran through it. The problems continued on and off throughout my freshman year of college. It hindered my training completely and I had to redshirt the whole year. Therapy would help it but never heal it. It was just a chronic problem. I had a cortisone shot, but like most cortisones, it only helped for a few days. Trust me, surgery was the very last resort. It wasn't something I wanted to do. But it was necessary in my opinion. Taking time off just would not help.

I would definitely seek other options before you considered surgery, but if you're in my boat, it's matter of never running again. I'm really happy that I did it. Just last week, 4 months from my surgery date, I PR'd in the 5k. I didn't have the surgery because I wanted to run competitively forever. I did it because it would have affected my long term ability to stay active. It hurt to bike, walk down stairs, and just sitting for an extended period of time. So before you decide to go under the knife you should consider if it will affect you in the future or if it will go away with some time off and a foam roller.

Keep in mind that it is a very rare surgery. But oddly enough there are 2 other girls on my team who have had it... strange. All 3 of us are so happy with the results and we all came back running strong. But you need to find the right doctor. I went to an a****** surgeon who refused to do it and told me to lie down so he could give me another cortisone shot. Needless to say I didn't let him and got the hell out of there. So FIND THE RIGHT DOCTOR!

Hope this helped, good luck!

I too have had the surgery and am very happy I went through with it- and was impressed that I could get back to running relatively quickly as well.

For me it was a choice of lifestyle, I tried absolutely everything and had hosts of doctors from two Big 10 schools working with me. Really try to find a orthopaedic surgeon/doctor who has experience with this problem- you are wasting your time otherwise. Surgery is the absolute last resort, but for me, after 18months of no running, hiking, biking, walking over terrain, etc. It became a matter of staying sane rather than trying to win the Boston marathon. I got to the point where carrying the groceries in the house left me in tears and sick to my stomach with pain- but my MRI showed just a little inflamation in the area. The MRI is tricky to read for this injury- beware! Again, doctors with experience in ITB issues save time and money.

Interestingly, my hips were the key to this process and now I do more hip strenth/stretch than ever before. Yoga is VERY helpful as are foam rollers and a good massage therapist who isnt afraid to work on your glutes/hips for an hour.

IT Band issues have killed my training until i found the pattstrap... that silly little band works wonders.

interesting info on the straps, I will get one and I want to try one of the foam rollers as well.