Wildcard Wednesday – IT Band Syndrome & race calendar update!
One of the most annoying injuries a runner can sustain…IT band syndrome. I am suffering with this crap injury and cannot train. It is so frustrating because all I want to do is run. And I can barely walk. It will get better for a day or two…and then I am limping all over again. Boo.
The IT band begins in the hip and has attachments at three different muscles: the gluteus medius, gluteus minimus, and vastus lateralis. The muscle becomes a fibrous band of tissue as it progresses down the thigh, then crosses the knee joint, and inserts along the outside portion of the knee cap and into the shin bone on a bump known as Gerdy’s Tubercle.
The classic symptoms of ITBS are pain along the outside aspect of the knee joint, sometimes accompanied by a clicking sensation. The click is a result of the ITB tightening and snapping across the joint during running…eww. The symptoms are often worse when running up or down hills.
ITBS is typically progressive, starting with tightness and often advancing to the point where the pain is debilitating. (Read: remember to STRETCH during your run!) The traditional view on the cause of this injury has focused on the tightness of the structure and overtraining. There is no doubt that the ITB will become tighter when it is injured. The tightness, however, is more than likely a result of the injury and not the actual cause. The cause of this injury actually lies in the function of the ITB.
The main functions of the ITB are to assist the hip muscles in outward movement of the thigh and to stabilize the lateral side of the knee. The ITB is not a strong structure, and if the surrounding muscles have any weakness that can lead to injury and ITB syndrome.
The Most Common Causes of ITBS
- Leg length differences
- Road camber - running on a slope for a long time
- Foot structure
- Excessive shoe breakdown - particularly on the outside of the heel
- Training intensity errors - increasing mileage or intensity too fast
- Muscle imbalances - particularly quads versus hamstrings
- Run/gait style factors - e.g. bow-leggedness, knock knees, etc.
How to fix this…prevent it first off. Stretch during the runs, and after. Remember to use that stick, foam roller or Lacrosse ball to roll out that tissue to prevent the tightness. But if you are like me, and didn’t do enough of this- or ignored it all together- roll, roll, roll. And rest. Stretch and roll.
On a more positive note…
I have planned the next 16 months of races!! Woo.
On the schedule:
- Minneapolis 13.1 series 5K Aug 21st 2011
- Minneapolis Duathlon Aug 28th 2011
- Nike Women's Half Marathon October 16th 2011 (With TNT)
- ING Miami Half Marathon January 29th 2012 (With TNT)
- Rock'N'Roll Pasadena Half Marathon February 19th 2012- I am doing this with my Coach Kristine, this also happens to be the 13th anniversary of her AML diagnosis!
- Rock'N'Roll San Diego June 3rd 2012 (With TNT)
- Minneapolis Duathlon Aug 2012 (With TNT)
- Honolulu Century Ride September 2012 (With TNT)
- Nike Women's Half Marathon October 2012 (With TNT)
Holy Crap...
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