Ask a Trainer: How Do I Get Rid Of IT Band Syndrome?

Iliotibial band syndrome, also called ITB friction syndrome, inflicts sharp knee or hip pain on a wide range of sufferers: ballet dancers, football players, and—yes—runners and triathletes. Brought on by a sudden increase in training mileage or even a single unusually long workout, it’s nothing more than an irritation of a band of connective tissue that goes from the hip (the iliac crest) to the shin bone (the tibia). Hence, iliotibial.

The band could go about its business of stabilizing a runner’s foot during footstrike if only it didn’t have to pass over two impediments—a bony projection (called Gerdy’s tubercle) on the outside of your knee, and another diffuse bony protuberance (which has no name) on the hip—every time your leg is bent and straightened again. Loose ITBs slide harmlessly past the two obstructions. Tight ones rub against them, get irritated, and react with a sharp pain on the outside of the knee or hip that starts a couple of miles into a run.

Runners who experience this may find, practically overnight, that they can’t run very far. Any doctor or athletic trainer can diagnose this from across the room: “Doc, the pain starts a few miles into the run, not at the beginning, and sometimes I wake up with it the next morning after a long run.” They’ve taken a few days off, to no avail. They’ve switched to their bicycles but gotten no relief (because they’re feeling the same rubbing during cycling). The really determined ones have scanned a couple of articles by Dr. Google, and now they’re sitting there girding themselves for a long layoff, a local steroid injection, or surgery. In my opinion, none of that’s necessary, though you might not know it from the number of athletes advised to try at least one of the three remedies. Surgery is a last resort, and a long layoff won’t do anything to loosen a tight ITB.

But simple stretching will work wonders. Truly, that’s all it takes to fix IT Band Syndrome. Whether you were born with an abnormally tight ITB or stiffened it with exercise (the band contains a very small amount of muscle tissue), the key to a cure is to get some slack back into it so it won’t rub. Ice and an oral anti-inflammatory will help get rid of the pain, but only a supple ITB can keep the condition from returning.

RELATED: IT Band Stretches, Treatment, and Prevention

The simplest stretch is to lie on your back, bring your left knee up to your shoulder, and push your knee over to the right shoulder with the palm of your left hand. Hold for 20 seconds, and repeat five times. Then do your right knee. Do this exercise at least three times a day, and you’ll probably see results in about a week. When the condition clears up, just use the stretch whenever you can; more is better!

There’s a second simple exercise to stretch the band out that I also recommend. Stand at arm’s length from a wall with your feet together. Keeping your feet in place and your arm extended, slowly stretch your hips toward the wall, hold for a few seconds, and then return to a standing position. Turn around, put your other hand on the wall, and repeat. Simple. Do this one often, and you will find the suppleness of your ITB coming along nicely.

For most who have faithfully tried these exercises without relief, stretching is just not enough. A foam roller, which you can get at marathon expos or online, is a good addition to stretch out the band. The roller is nothing more than a short log made of dense, lightweight foam. The roller is about 4 inches in diameter, and all you need to do is lie on it and roll the affected area back and forth on top of it. You can also try “The Stick,” which has a series of small-diameter rollers on a spindle; you grab the stick at each end and roll it back and forth over the affected area. Again, more is better; you cannot do this too much, only too little.

RELATED: Ask a Trainer: How Should I Use a Foam Roller During Race Season?

If none of this provides relief, ask your sports physician the following questions:

• Do I really have ITB syndrome, or is it something else?
• Have I developed a new bursa at Gerdy’s Tubercle that would respond to a steroid injection?

Some people develop what is called an adventitial bursal sac right around Gerdy’s Tubercle. This fluid-filled structure can get inflamed from running; a simple cortisone shot right there has done miracles for some patients. Don’t be afraid of the cortisone if your doctor prescribes a shot, as it stays locally and there are no systemic effects.

If you do, in fact, have ITB syndrome, however, and you follow my advice for stretching and foam rolling, you will be pain-free within four weeks.

RELATED: An Injury Guide for Triathletes

The TL;DR: IT Band Syndrome

Symptoms: Pain on lateral side of knee or hip a mile or two into run. Never have pain from first step.

How it occurs: Friction of tight iliotibial band rubbing at hip and/or knee.

What the doctor may do: Palpate ITB. Gait analysis for overpronation. X-ray and MRI not needed.

Getting back to running: Stretching. Foam roller. “The Stick.” If a small bursa has formed around Gerdy’s Tubercle, cortisone injection into the bursa. You can run through IT pain, as long as it does not change your running form. NOTE: Surgery should be last resort. In all my years of practice, I have seen only one case that required surgery to remove the bursa around Gerdy’s Tubercle.

This article was adapted from the Running Doc’s Guide to Healthy Running with permission of VeloPress.

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