IT band issues

[Txgirl]

Anyone here have issues with their IT band? I hurt mine running a half marathon over a year ago and it still bothers me. Sometimes I even have to stop running. Any suggestions on some good stretches or would a dynamic stretching routine do the trick. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

[trainerty]

Unfortunately IT band is a tendon and can not be stretched. Your best bet is to get a foam roll and get rolling daily.

[Lisa~]

IT band tightness is often associated with quad dominance and glute weakness. Foam rolling the ITB, stretching the quads and hip flexors, and adding glute activation work all before lifting should start you on a road to recovery.

[Txgirl]

Would the above be included in one of the DVD's that you mentioned for dynamic flexibility?

[Lisa~]

The MM DVD covers glute activation (but you can also just google it and find a ton of info). The foam rolling isn't covered in the DVD. I'll link you up with info when I get home. (Unless somebody beats me to it! We've covered this material lots of time before on this forum.)

[Txgirl]

Originally Posted by Lisa~

The MM DVD covers glute activation (but you can also just google it and find a ton of info). The foam rolling isn't covered in the DVD. I'll link you up with info when I get home. (Unless somebody beats me to it! We've covered this material lots of time before on this forum.)

Thanks a ton. I think I may still get the MM DVD, so I'll do a nice warm up before I lift. I do have a foam roller that I started to use again yesterday. Trying to foam roll in the am and pm. I'll be looking for the link...thanks

[Lisa~]

This drawing shows your IT band, which is the tendon that runs from your TFL to your knee. Notice how it lies over the lateral aspect of the quadriceps.



Here's a very good sport medicine article that details ITB syndrome:
Quick Solutions for Iliotibial Band Syndrome

I'm glad you already own a foam roller. You'll want to roll the TFL, ITB, and lateral aspect of your quads. This thread on foam rolling has links to a roller guide as well as several articles. You might be interested in the articles on trigger points; I bet you've got a couple in your lateral quad!
How and Why of Foam Rolling?

Foam rolling in the am and pm is fine. You could do it pre-workout too if it's convenient to do so. But you can and should stretch your quads, hip flexors, and ITB at all three times--am, pm, and pre-workout. Usually static stretching isn't recommend pre-workout, but in your case we want to reduce the power of your quads. By then adding glute activation, you can move on to squats, deads, and other leg work with better muscular balance.

Here's a good quad/hip flexor stretch. I'm sure you can find others too.




Here's a TFL/ITB stretch. I call it the "I gotta pee" stretch. I'm sure you can find others too. Use the stretches that you feel best hit your tight areas.




Then do your glute activation movements, which will be details in MM. I'm glad you're going to go ahead and buy it. Here's an article by Mike Robertson that covers many of the subjects I've been talking about. It's a small taste of the contents he fills out more fully in his Bulletproof Knees manual. The article shows X-band walks (an excellent glute activation movement) and another quad stretch.
18 Tips for Bulletproof Knees

An advanced glute activation movement I really like are single-leg RDL variations. Doing them while holding a quad stretch is excellent:



And this thread included links to lots of dynamic warm-ups that include glute activation movements: Lisa- Active Dynamic Warmup Question

Happy reading!

[Txgirl]

Oh my gosh, look at all those links I'm going to try the stretches you mentioned and the ones in the article tonight plus foam roll. I'm so tired of my aching IT band, it's been over a year since the injury! Thanks for all the info.