Do I have Iliotibial Band Syndrome?

Iliotibial band syndrome (ITB) is an overuse injury which happens to many runners throughout their career. I remember major knee pain at the end of a few of my earlier career marathons, barely making it to the finish line, after the feeling of my knee going out in one of the last miles. This kept me from qualifying for the 2000 Olympic Marathon Trials.

Luckily, I learned that by strengthening my muscles with weight bearing exercises, I was able to outgrow this problem. But running alone doesn't always cut it.

Here is some things I've learned:

What is iliotibial band syndrome?

ITB is an overuse injury to the outside of your leg. The iliotibial band is a ligament that runs from your hip to your shin on the outside of your thigh. The rubbing of this band on the bones on your knee causes friction. Too much friction causes inflammation (nice word for PAIN).

Do you suspect you have ITB ? Test it:
Keep your leg straight and bend it. If you feel pain on the outside of your knee at any point, then you most probably have ITB.

How do you get iliotibial band syndrome?

As mentioned before, ITB is an overuse injury. Common causes of overuse of your iliotibial band are :

• Past due shoes (cough up the money now or you'll spend it in therapies for your injury)
• Hill running
• Too much mileage
• Track workouts in the same direction (stick to the roads when possible!)

How can you prevent iliotibial band syndrome?

Now you know what is causing ITB it is almost too easy to answer the question on how you can prevent it... alright I'll do it for you !
How to prevent iliotibial band syndrome :
• Slow and steady build-up of miles
• Replace your shoes in time
• Avoid too many hills
• Alternate direction of your track workouts

How can you treat iliotibial band syndrome/When you find out you have ITB, how can you treat it ?

• Rest And Ice

Yes, I am sorry, but you will have to give that iliotibial band of yours a bit of a rest. So less or no miles. Icing the painful area will reduce inflammation.

Do not continue your normal running routine. Do not be a hero and ignore the pain. You'll make things worse and run the serious risk of making your ITB a chronic injury. And that's something you really do not want.

• Cross-train

Keep up your fitness level by doing alternative exercise like swimming or pool running. By the way, check out why cross training good for you.

• Find out where you went wrong

Too many hills ? Too much track running in the same direction ? Do you need other shoes or orthotics ? Or do you need to cut back your mileage ?
Be a bit critical here !

• Ease into running

After a (short) rest period, ease into your running again. Take your time to get back to where you were before your injury.

•Protec Iliotibial Band

The Protec Iliotibial Band features a compression pad that supports the iliotibial band.

• Cortisone injection

If rest and ice and the Protec Iliotibial Band don't help, then you might have to get a cortisone injection.

• Surgery

As a totally last option, you can have surgery done. Most runners are not happy with the results of this because it gives them "floppy knees".

I certainly hope you recognise you have ITB in an early stage so that rest, ice and the Protec Iliotibial Band can cure you and you do not have to pursue more rigorous options like injections or surgery.

ITB is a sign you are doing something wrong. So while treating it, think, be critical and realise what it is you could improve about your running.

I hope this section helped you understand that ITB, or in fact, all overuse injuries, need to be taken seriously.

So be wise and only hurt yourself while trying to pronounce iliotibial band syndrome !