ITB problem after road running, but no problem on the treadmill?.

[timbeck2]

A year ago I decided to take control of my health and fitness. After working in advertising for 12 years and letting myself fall into a bit of disrepair, I started an eating and exercise regime which I have followed religiously. A year later I am 14kgs lighter, I ride a combined distance of about 250ks a week on my road and mountain bikes and gym 2 to 3 times a week. The transition back to fitness has been pretty smooth up until this point, but I know I have a way to go until I reach my goal of peak physical condition. I have always enjoyed running and I have tried to incorporate it into my routine a few times over the past few months, but my left knee for some reason is not having it. I have tried changing shoes and inner soles a few times. Even after short distances the same burning, sharp pain returns to the outside of my knee. It doesnt happen with any other exercise including cycling or running steps. Tonight I decided to try the treadmill for the first time and surprisingly, no problem whatsoever. Half an hour at a descent pace and the knee feels perfect. Does anyone have any clue what this is about? I'd appreciate some insight from someone who knows about this stuff. Shot.

[r.hendrix]

I've had a similar problem but yours first.

It sounds weird due to the fact that most people complain that treadmill running give rise to various "niggles" (due to the uniformity of the surface) where as road running has slightly more "give", trail running even moreso (picture suspension working on an mtb vs no suspension in a road bike)

 

Anything can cause ITB (or so i'm told) factors like muscle imbalances, weakness in running stance, poor shoe choice etc etc, my best guess though is that over training could be your main concern 250kms a week, plus 2-3 times at gym does sound hectic. You mentioned you changed shoes?

 

The only advice I can give is that you first rest and heal, wait for the swell to go down. And start looking at it pragmatically.

 

1) shoes (properly fitted)

2) excercise duration and intensity (obey a proper resting period)

3) environment, treadmill vs road look carefully at why you think it's buggering your left knee

 

And then take it from there, 8/10 you'll figure out how you are getting what you getting 2/10 you'll need a physician.

 

Good luck

[r.hendrix]

Oh and running causes a jarring motion up your leg (which is more prevalent in bigger runners). Which takes its toll on your knee. Also if its actually ITB it's the myo facial (improper spelling) band that runs down your side that rubbing over the outside of the knee, this band becomes inflamed with excess use. Cycling does not cause it due to the fact that the motion is more stable in general, but cyclists have been know to get ITB as well.

[grinch]

Makes sense that it should not pain on treadmill. Most roads have a camber / slant to them to allow water run-off to gutter. This slant also changes the biomecahics of your knee. Most people run with their backs to the traffic, i.e left side closer to pavement. Your lateral condyle of your left knee is creating friction on the ITB as its now under more tension. If your pain is happening well into your run or near end / after it sounds like the start of ITB syndrome. Take NSAID and start a course of ITB stretches and strenghten you quads, gluteal muscles. Hell...go see a physiotherapist before it gets worse

[r.hendrix]

Incase you're wondering

 

I have had the following. iTb due to over training, I also lost a lot of weight like you have. Which took months to fix only to manifest itself as torn cartilage in my hip joint as a result of the DDH I was born with. This then caused impingements in my left hip and a disk to slip out at L4/L5. Most of what I've told you are things I have picked up from other runners and the doctors that I have had (there have been many)

 

So my best advice is to rest properly enjoy a good break, and try to look at it from all angles before you start training full on

 

Good luck (apologies for grammar and spelling I types this on my phone)

[r.hendrix]

As Grinch said, stretches will help a long way, the blue foam rollers at gym will do well to massage out the areas in question. And as pointed out sometimes the treadmill is better. It's different from person to person.

[Agteros]

Not all pain on the outside of the knee is ITB related. There are more tendons than just the ITB attaching to the outside of the knee....

 

That said, no harm be done to foam roll the ITBs.

 

I had a similair problem over the past few weeks. However it was not the ITB, it seems to be a combination of two things: The RHS hamstring ligament/weak hamstring & over tight hip flexors (mostly RHS) from a lot of cycling. My pain only started showing after I started running again a few weeks ago. The pain is only felt during cycling but when running everything is fine.

 

I eventually resolved the pain during cycling by raising my saddle slightly. Although the hamstring is still not 100%, at least I can cycle again. In the mean time I'm busy with a rehab program to get the hip flexors flexible enough for running and the hamstring strong enough.

 

Best will be to go to a biokineticist to identify the mechanical issue/weak muscle groups, and then work to resolve that.

[Active Monkey]

oh itb, any one know if medical aid pays for the ops?

[Agteros]

oh itb, any one know if medical aid pays for the ops?

Not sure, if medically justified they should pay, However, surgery is ALWAYS a last resort. Foam rollers & identifying the cause for the ITB to become tight should be the first (and initially only) solution. Do not go to a surgeon for ITB treatment. Find a bio / physio / chiro who specializes in sports medicine and let them sort it out for you.

 

It is quite amazing what can be fixed with the correct physical therapy. Sure these things are boring, non-macho & painful exercises/massages [but not as painful as surgery!]... But then I've developed an aversion to scalpels, and I've learned to love what six weeks of target bio sessions can do for me.

[timbeck2]

Thanks guys, I'm going to go and see a bio kineticist when I get home from the holidays and have an accesment done. I appreciate the feedback. Cheers.

[SwissVan]

It might not be your ITB

 

I've had genuine ITB before (many moons ago) and know what it feels like etc...

 

For the last few years i THOUGHT had some sort of ITB issue because of a "just ike ITB" pain on my right knee BUT only when I walked, not when running or cycling....

 

Long story shortened:

 

Got it checked out properly by a Orthopedic specialist and it turned out to be a cyst on the outside of the knee close to where I had the genuine ITB pain before.

 

Moral of the story:

Self diagnosis sucks, get expert diagnosis.

[Redlight]

A year ago I decided to take control of my health and fitness. After working in advertising for 12 years and letting myself fall into a bit of disrepair, I started an eating and exercise regime which I have followed religiously. A year later I am 14kgs lighter, I ride a combined distance of about 250ks a week on my road and mountain bikes and gym 2 to 3 times a week. The transition back to fitness has been pretty smooth up until this point, but I know I have a way to go until I reach my goal of peak physical condition. I have always enjoyed running and I have tried to incorporate it into my routine a few times over the past few months, but my left knee for some reason is not having it. I have tried changing shoes and inner soles a few times. Even after short distances the same burning, sharp pain returns to the outside of my knee. It doesnt happen with any other exercise including cycling or running steps. Tonight I decided to try the treadmill for the first time and surprisingly, no problem whatsoever. Half an hour at a descent pace and the knee feels perfect. Does anyone have any clue what this is about? I'd appreciate some insight from someone who knows about this stuff. Shot.

Stay on the bike...runnings not for woosies

[Witkop]

Okay consider this:

 

your stride on the treadmill may be different to your "in the wild" running. being on the tread mill you may be taking shorter strides and be running more up right.

 

Now the barefoot brigade argue that by shorterning your stride you reduce the torsion on your legaments and joints, thereby reducing the chance of injury. By running upright or with your shoulders positioned above your hips you will land on your mid/forefoot, thereby reducing the jarring effect of "running".

 

Therefore, if these arguments are correct, you may need to be more aware of your style when running.

 

Just a thought.

[Weight Weenie]

Give trailrunning a bash. The movements are much more varied so I found it less likely to irritate the ITB versus running on the road it can happen quite quickly for me.

[MTBc]

 

The only advice I can give is that you first rest and heal, wait for the swell to go down. And start looking at it pragmatically.

 

1) shoes (properly fitted)

2) excercise duration and intensity (obey a proper resting period)

3) environment, treadmill vs road look carefully at why you think it's buggering your left knee

 

 

I've just started running (trail), and after 5 runs of between 6km and 10km in the last 2 weeks, I am starting to get ITB pain in my left knee (which is my dominant leg / knee). woke up at about 3am this morning with pain in my right hip, which seems to also be a symptom after some googling.

 

I'm currently running on dirt roads / jeep track, nothing hectic, but i haven't run for years.

• What is a "proper resting period" ? I'm aiming to be able to manage a 12km technical trail run in 3 weeks, can currently manage 6. Does this sound too ambitious, or should it be easily do-able?
  
• What's the best way to rule out shoes vs. initial over-training as the cause? I bought a cheapish pair of power running shoes to see how I find trail running - similar to these - and don't want to spend too much more until I know whether i'll continue running.
  
• What stretches work best for other hubbers that have had ITB problems?