# IT Band--How #$%& long does it take!



## farmertan (Oct 14, 2004)

I strained my IT band mowing the grass after a long ride in the first week of August. It wasn't an overuse injury; I actually stepped the wrong way and got a sharp pain in the IT band just above my knee.

Since then I've backed way off on my training, taking weeks off here and there with tons of stretching and icing. I took this past week off and tried riding yesterday for 30 minutes on the sidewalk and dirt roads. I used to do 6-7 hour races and now I can't make it 30 minutes on a sidewalk without pain :madman: . 

The longest I've taken off so far consecutively is 7 days. So now I've decided to take 6 whole weeks off. I'm wonering if anyone else has had this problem and how long you had to take off. Whatever fitness I've been able to maintain is going to go out the window, but there's nothing else I can do.


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## xcguy (Apr 18, 2004)

farmertan said:


> I strained my IT band mowing the grass after a long ride in the first week of August. It wasn't an overuse injury; I actually stepped the wrong way and got a sharp pain in the IT band just above my knee.
> 
> Since then I've backed way off on my training, taking weeks off here and there with tons of stretching and icing. I took this past week off and tried riding yesterday for 30 minutes on the sidewalk and dirt roads. I used to do 6-7 hour races and now I can't make it 30 minutes on a sidewalk without pain :madman: .
> 
> The longest I've taken off so far consecutively is 7 days. So now I've decided to take 6 whole weeks off. I'm wonering if anyone else has had this problem and how long you had to take off. Whatever fitness I've been able to maintain is going to go out the window, but there's nothing else I can do.


I've read that once you got IT band problems it's pretty much a lifelong stretching program. I've got IT band pain and I have a set of stretches I do at least every other day if not daily. Putting the stretching into your workout schedule shouldn't be a problem, unless you DON'T put it into your workout schedule. Think of it as breathing---you gotta breathe, right?


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## Maadjurguer (Mar 22, 2008)

You should take your time off the bike seriously, and even more seriously; stretch twice daily and use a roller. I'm a believer now that I started a routine in the early summer to prepare for an endurance event in August.....it worked. Do a search on rollers on this forum as well as IT for links to stretches....they're all pretty spot on with respect to what to do....Good Luck!


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## nadinno78 (Mar 23, 2006)

Welcome to the club. The foam roller is your new best friend. If money or insurance isn't an issue go see a physical therapist. They can set you up on program to get you back in the saddle. 

I had to do a six week stretching and conditioning program when I first had this problem. No bike riding or running in that six weeks. Some easy swimming was okay. I got lucky on the PT and was able to use the campus medical center when I was in college for only $10 per session. 

The first week on the foam roller is pretty painful. Stick with it and it gets easier. 

I have never seen a bike shop that carries foam rollers but a good running store will. Spend the money and get the good rollers (this shouldn't cost more than $30). The cheaper ones wear out pretty quickly. Chain stores like Dick's or Sports authority will have foam rollers too, but they will be overpriced.


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## farmertan (Oct 14, 2004)

Right now the foam roller is my enemy, but when I'm hammering out 6 hour epics in the spring, I'll come home and give it a cozy hug. I've been foam rolling for about 2 months now (along with icing 2-4 times per day). I just haven't rested long enough. 

I've even laid on a tennis ball on my hip, having referral pain down where the IT band ends. The same sensation happened when I had a massage therapist work on it, so I know I'm doing something right. The tennis ball has actually produced the best results as far as not feeling painful and tight in the morning.

The reason I haven't taken more than a week off so far is b/c I'll FEEL like I'm 100% better during the day, but 20-30 minutes into a ride it flares back up. So now I've decided to take 6 weeks off, with swimming being my only cardio. I've never swam in the past, so THAT is a humbling experience. I've gone from being on the mountain bike podium to trying to keep up with old ladies on kick boards.  I'll have a whole new appreciation for the bike when this is over. 

Thanks for the replies so far. It feels good to know others have had to work through this as well. 

Cheers


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## farmertan (Oct 14, 2004)

*Weight training*

Did you guys incorporate weight training (legs) into your recovery. My plan is to do upper body stuff for 3 weeks, then add leg strength training for 3 weeks, then start riding again. Here are the exercises I plan to do:
-Leg press
-Lunges with weights
-One-leg squats (holding dumbbells)
-Let extension
-Leg curl


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## nadinno78 (Mar 23, 2006)

farmertan said:


> Did you guys incorporate weight training (legs) into your recovery. My plan is to do upper body stuff for 3 weeks, then add leg strength training for 3 weeks, then start riding again. Here are the exercises I plan to do:
> -Leg press
> -Lunges with weights
> -One-leg squats (holding dumbbells)
> ...


Weight lifting was out for me during the six weeks. The type of conditioning I did was based on strengthening the support muscles around the knee. A lot of it was based on body weight, rubber bands, and balance. Now that I have this problem I have found that lunges and squates can aggrevate the IT band as much as running or cycling can. I personally think you should wait the six weeks before doing those excercises.

If I can find the program that the PT gave me I will post it here later.


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## farmertan (Oct 14, 2004)

nadinno78 said:


> Weight lifting was out for me during the six weeks. The type of conditioning I did was based on strengthening the support muscles around the knee. A lot of it was based on body weight, rubber bands, and balance. Now that I have this problem I have found that lunges and squates can aggrevate the IT band as much as running or cycling can. I personally think you should wait the six weeks before doing those excercises.
> 
> If I can find the program that the PT gave me I will post it here later.


Thanks for the advice. I'm desperate to be recovered, so I don't want to aggravate it. And thanks for looking for the PT program. That would be cool.


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## rydbyk (Oct 13, 2009)

You guys ever hear your IT band "snap" as it works its way around a hip? I too have IT problems...drives me nuts. I am starting to feel it in my right knee now...same leg that has the snapping sound on the hip...


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## N10S (Sep 27, 2004)

rydbyk said:


> You guys ever hear your IT band "snap" as it works its way around a hip? I too have IT problems...drives me nuts. I am starting to feel it in my right knee now...same leg that has the snapping sound on the hip...


Yes, if my IT band issues flare up (like right now), I get the snap. It provides a little relief, but I think actually causes things to get more inflamed overall. I also get the pull across my hip and into my lower back. If I can keep riding and stretching I have less issue with this, but any time away from riding and stretching I get back into a chronic discomfort. I need to pop for a foam roller and begin a more disciplined routine at staying limber. At 51 its not easy.

Jeff


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## IPA Rider (Aug 24, 2008)

*IT sucks*

just another fact of life...I was 27 and cranking out big miles, then my ride was in the shop for 3 days so I thought I would go running...2 miles into it I couldn't walk, just out of the blue. The pain sucked but the psychological hit was worse.

I'm 42 now and know that it is a matter of management, rather than having some kind of terminal illness. Foam roller and stretching - definitely, but I've found many of the basic IT stretches and roller work to be pretty limited. Much of my problems seem to be well above my hip joint, and into my lower back too. I have to use a tennis ball to get at a lot of the trouble spots.

When I slack off, I have more problems (funny how that works).

I never have trouble riding, just walking/hiking/running. It seems that the conventional wisdom is that riding can make you more prone to IT band syndrome (muscle balance issues?). I know my anatomy and physiology pretty well, but haven't ever gotten a good explanation of that claim.

Also, custom orthotics did wonders for me for years (though not so much with the ones I have now).


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## [email protected] (Oct 17, 2009)

I had IT problems after a month of intense training this last summer. Stretching was ok, but the firm foam rollers kicked its a$$.


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## snowhoss (Feb 18, 2007)

*...Yes...*



rydbyk said:


> You guys ever hear your IT band "snap" as it works its way around a hip? I too have IT problems...drives me nuts. I am starting to feel it in my right knee now...same leg that has the snapping sound on the hip...


 Getting an MRI Orthogram to investigate what is causing the "snapping hip". Doc said it wasn't uncommon and surgery, if necessary, was easy and would correct the problem.

I found that stretching after riding and stretching on the days between rides is helpful. Keeps me limber and helps reduce the pain.


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## Hellrazor666 (Oct 27, 2008)

Yeah the foam roller kicks your ass and I think they should use this to get info out of terrorist. Have them do it at a slight incline and with in minutes they will have all the info they need :thumbsup:


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## [email protected] (Oct 17, 2009)

Hellrazor666 said:


> Yeah the foam roller kicks your ass and I think they should use this to get info out of terrorist. Have them do it at a slight incline and with in minutes they will have all the info they need :thumbsup:


Yep, they hurt the first time or two you use them, but after that, I had no IT problems!


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## Hellrazor666 (Oct 27, 2008)

[email protected] said:


> Yep, they hurt the first time or two you use them, but after that, I had no IT problems!


Makes one of us :madman: I'm still rehabbing after knee surgery and minor set back in that process. I have major atrophy in my quad and it is pulling everything on my left side. They took me off weight training for now and have me doing resistance band strengthening . So right now the foam roller still kicks my ass. Plus I like doing it the harder way which is both legs off the ground... try that way and tell me it still doesn't kill


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## civil (Feb 13, 2008)

[email protected] said:


> Yep, they hurt the first time or two you use them, but after that, I had no IT problems!


After awhile I switched from foam rollers to a hard plastic water bottle.

Hurts even more, but it's a good kind of hurt 

5 min of that and I'm good to go.

It's amazing how well that exercise/stretch works for IT problems.


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## stumblemumble (Mar 31, 2006)

Yup, try a 4" diameter PVC pipe if the hard foam doesn't do it anymore. Nobody has mentioned a regimen of NSAIDS and/or fish oil. 
Another thing to try is the roller on the inner thigh while laying prone. The PVC pipe works great on the posterior and outer calves too.


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## ilostmypassword (Dec 9, 2006)

i recommend some good old fashioned trigger point massage while you condition your legs


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## gsomtb (Jul 18, 2007)

I'm kinda like N10S.....along the outside/lateral portion of my rt quad (mainly rt) and around into my lower back. Sometimes both quads if I'm too aggro w/ miles, climbing and too much foam roller.

Anyone else have theirs flare up like this?


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## bennymtb (Nov 3, 2009)

Sometimes there are issues further a field. Persistent ITB tightness can be have their roots in poor lower back mobility/core strength or a muscle imbalance such as tight or weak hamstrings/gluteals as well as the quads. General hip range of motion is also a consideration.

I'd get my physio to look at these and other issues if the ITB tightness keeps on flaring up and stretching doesn't help it for long.

Good luck.


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