New Runner, Race in 2 days, now I have IT band pain!? Help!

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maj34
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New Runner, Race in 2 days, now I have IT band pain!? Help!

Postby maj34 » Fri Jul 20, 2012 6:27 am

Hi.

I've been running on and off for a couple of years; I have a 10 mile race in two days and just discovered last night that I have IT band issues. Now I'm concerned, and while Google is usually my friend, there is a lot of controversy and an overload of information on IT band issues. I have no idea what to do about this. I'm hoping some of you can comment on my particular dilemma.

I have possibly over-trained (too much speed and long distance) for this race. I also worked 12 hour days for a month in the KEY training period and got my runs in anyway - they were very difficult.

I started experiencing a lot of tightness in my lower shins while running in the last few weeks. It gets so tight down there that my ankles become rigid and I have to stop and walk; if I continue to run the muscle feels so tight that, after a mile or so, the ankle starts to get numb. But there is very little or no pain associated with this.

Last night as I was rubbing my legs, I noticed a very tender spot on the outside of my right knee, perhaps just below the knee even. It doesn't hurt when I walk and it didn't hurt during my last run (about 2.5 miles).

As I said above, there is SO much information out there, and much of it is conflicting. I'm wondering what I should do in the two days prior to the race. There is no chance of getting in to see a professional today (Friday) or Saturday.

Should I:
- Ice or heat? Some people say ice vigorously. Some say this band doesn't get inflamed but tight, so instead you need heat to help loosen it up.
- Compress in the days to come?
- Compress during the race?
- Stretch? Some websites suggest you can't stretch the IT band.
- Use foam roller? Again, some people say it works, others say it's also useless.

The goal for me is to get through the race without injury. Following the race, I can do massage, stretching, rest, etc.

Thoughts?
Thanks for any advise; I'm nervous about this race now, and have been training hard (despite life and work constantly interferring) for this for a few months.

M.

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Jwolf
Kevin Sullivan
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New Runner, Race in 2 days, now I have IT band pain!? Help!

Postby Jwolf » Fri Jul 20, 2012 8:52 am

The reason there is so much into our there is that some things work better for some people, some for others. Usually what ends up working best is backing off on intensity and distance (relative rest) while doing some sort of physical therapy treatment, but not everyone likes the same thing. Sometimes injuries need complete rest from running while healing. Unfortunately there is a lot of individual trial and error, so it's hard to advise online.

My gut feeling would be that you should probably back off and possibly skip it the race- but it's hard to say because your injury might not be as bad as it sounds.
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phorunner
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Re: New Runner, Race in 2 days, now I have IT band pain!? He

Postby phorunner » Fri Jul 20, 2012 8:54 am

try foam rolling, but if you don't feel like you're at at least 90%, walk the race - no reason to stay home and do nothing - just take it easy and enjoy the environment?

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MikeM
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Re: New Runner, Race in 2 days, now I have IT band pain!? He

Postby MikeM » Fri Jul 20, 2012 9:06 am

I've been dealing with an IT band issue for a couple of months now and have similar symptoms (tender spot below the knee, doesn't hurt while running). For me the thing that helps is rest. I foam roll and stretch it too but I can't tell for sure if that helps. After a couple of days rest it feels great and is fine while I run, but then tightens up afterward. So maybe a couple of days of rest might be enough to survive your race (and as Jen and phorunner mentioned back off if you're not feeling 100%. There's always another race).

It's too bad you can't get to a professional before the race. The physiotherapist has taped it for me a couple of times before spring races and it helped. Post-race, I've also been doing strengthening and massage.

I haven't tried compression or ice/heat so I can't comment on those.

Good luck with your race and welcome to RM!

maj34
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Re: New Runner, Race in 2 days, now I have IT band pain!? He

Postby maj34 » Fri Jul 20, 2012 12:40 pm

Thanks for the advise all.

I have a plan anyway; I'm going to not run until the race; pick up and use a foam roller; alternate between heat and cold; take ibuprofen in case there is some inflammation; and I'm going to attempt to run the race at my goal pace, unless it's hurting in which case I'll adjust goals accordingly.

maj34
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Re: New Runner, Race in 2 days, now I have IT band pain!? He

Postby maj34 » Sun Jul 22, 2012 9:10 pm

Well, did the race today and all was well.

First of all, I spent two days stretching my legs and purchased a foam roller. I iced my knee area a lot and took Aleve (Sodium Naproxin) regularly for a few days (including race day). I wore a compression knee brace for a couple of days but not during the race.

I'm not sure if any or all of these things helped, but they did work psychologically.

My goal was to do the 10-miler in 85 minutes, but it was much hotter than expected and I did it in 86:47. Very happy with this time.

No IT pain during or after the race; hopefully I caught this thing VERY early on and won't have any future problems!

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MikeM
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Re: New Runner, Race in 2 days, now I have IT band pain!? He

Postby MikeM » Mon Jul 23, 2012 12:45 pm

Glad the race went well and hope you don't have any further problems.


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