Have you dealt with an Iliotibial (IT) Band Injury?  At Anderson Peak Performance we know what it’s like to be slowed down or sidelined by leg pain due to aggressive running.  There are many ways to counteract this pain.

Run your hand down the side of your leg from above your hip to below  your knee.  This is your Iliotibial Band (also known as ITB or IT Band).  Your iliotibial band is made of fascia.  Fascia is a layer of fibrous connective tissue that surrounds muscle.  The fascia of the ITB  glides under the skin and over the muscle.  This long band of fascia can become tight and painful due to improper bio-mechanics,  postural abnormalities, structural imbalances, tight soft tissue  or overuse during training.

Do you feel pain in your hip, mid to lower thigh or outer knee?  Your ITB can become chronically  inflamed. Stretching, R.I.C.E., Foam Roller Myofascial Release, Graston, Chiropractic Adjustments and Physiotherapy can help you.  For Physiotherapy, I recommend Luke Bongiorno,  Physical Therapist Director of  New York Sports Medicine.

IT Band pain is caused when your pelvis is tilted towards one side by bad posture and form or a structural imbalance.  I recommend gait analysis to check if your body is out of alignment.  What is your weight distribution from one side to the other? We check that too!  When you run on the road do you stay on one side?  The road is engineered to slope slightly and this can aggravate your ITB because one side of your body is working harder than the other when trying to adjust to the slight curve of the road.  It’s like having an amateur tennis player on one side of your body and a pro on the other…eventually the amateur side is going to lose…and you get injured.

Do you overexercise?  Check out this blog post from the New York Times about this topic.   Have you ignored that little voice in your head that is telling you that you need to take care of yourself?  Successful athletes realize that they will not win if they are exhausted.  The pain may be a sign that you need rest and recovery.  It may also be a signal that you are out of alignment and that you need to remedy this.  Think about your pain while you are running or working out – does one side of your body bother you more than the other?  Paying attention to yourself is an important part of being a healthy person.  Remember my amateur tennis player analogy…..

Running shoes are an important factor in healthy exercise.  Your body’s base is it’s feet.  If you wear overused shoes or shoes with no real support you are doing yourself harm.  The runner’s rule of thumb is 300-500 miles per pair of shoes. When you go shoe shopping, ask the store’s professionals to give you advice on what to choose based on your exercise patterns.  A great place to buy running shoes is The Running Company (where I regularly conduct workshops).

When you workout at the gym do you look at the mirror to make sure that both sides of your body are expending the same effort.  Repetitive exercises, when done out of balance may do more harm than good.  If you workout with a partner, ask them to check your stance and form.  If you are noticeably out of balance you may want to utilize orthotics to level your posture.  You may require a consultation with a Chiropractor that includes a gait and balance analysis.

There are simple stretching exercises that will help you to strengthen and balance your IT Band.  Weakness in your gluts and upper thigh muscles may contribute to the ITB pain by making the outer thighs work harder than they need to.  Simply doing walking squats may help to strengthen these problem areas.  A special IT Band exercise is called the Standing Iliotibial Stretch where you cross your legs and reach into the sky while leaning toward the wall nearest your front leg.  You can try the knee crossover stretch.  Lay on the floor with one leg bent upwards, take your knee in your hand and lower it across your body to the floor.  Gently press towards the floor and be sure never to bounce when stretching.  Another great stretch is the Yoga Pigeon Pose.  This is more difficult and may require that you have a partner to spot you, especially since you are trying to reduce your pain and muscle weakness.  I find the most effective remedy is using a foam roller, ice massage and stretching.

People have tried backwards running, aqua jogging and balancing exercises using a bosu ball or a balance board.  These help to keep your body from always moving in a repetitive direction.  Do you always run the same route in the same direction?  I suggest that you change up your routine, even just for security reasons.  Changing your routine is good for your overall balance  and health.

At Anderson Peak Performance we offer a posture and  gait analysis to help identify what type of game of strength and weakness is going on inside you.  Please call the  office a call at 212-581-9317.  Follow me on Twitter and Facebook or send your questions to frontdesk@andersonpeakperformance.com.

Stay Safe!

Dr. A