ITB and Ironman training. - Triathlon Week

01-13-2005, 11:42 AM

It seems I'm having some trouble with my ITB. I can't get in to see my
orthopaedist until the 28th, so I can't be sure yet. I'm 13 weeks out
from Ironman Arizona. Reduced running volume hasn't seemed to help very
much. Cycling seems to aggrivate it, although to a lesser degree. I'm
consindering not cycling or running for a couple of weeks. Total rest.
It seems like a gamble, but maybe my only option. I'm also doing all
the usual remedies. NSAID's, stretching, massage, icing, hoping, and
praying. Any thoughts? Suggestions and support will be greatly
appreciated.

Thanks to all!

01-13-2005, 12:05 PM

In article <1105641769.672577.41980@c13g2000cwb.googlegroups. com>,
[Only registered and activated users can see links. ] wrote:

> It seems I'm having some trouble with my ITB. I can't get in to see my
> orthopaedist until the 28th, so I can't be sure yet. I'm 13 weeks out
> from Ironman Arizona. Reduced running volume hasn't seemed to help very
> much. Cycling seems to aggrivate it, although to a lesser degree. I'm
> consindering not cycling or running for a couple of weeks. Total rest.
> It seems like a gamble, but maybe my only option. I'm also doing all
> the usual remedies. NSAID's, stretching, massage, icing, hoping, and
> praying. Any thoughts? Suggestions and support will be greatly
> appreciated.

Well, I can't fix your IT band--I wish I could--but if you have the
mental ability to withstand some deep-water running that may keep you in
good enough shape to do your race while you get your knee straightened
out, so to speak. In fact, some top athletes have had breakthrough
performances after switching to deep-water running to get through an
injury. Good luck!

--Harold Buck

"I used to rock and roll all night,
and party every day.
Then it was every other day. . . ."
-Homer J. Simpson

01-13-2005, 06:21 PM

<[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote in message
news:1105641769.672577.41980@c13g2000cwb.googlegro ups.com...
> It seems I'm having some trouble with my ITB. I can't get in to see my
> orthopaedist until the 28th, so I can't be sure yet. I'm 13 weeks out
> from Ironman Arizona. Reduced running volume hasn't seemed to help very
> much. Cycling seems to aggrivate it, although to a lesser degree. I'm
> consindering not cycling or running for a couple of weeks. Total rest.
> It seems like a gamble, but maybe my only option. I'm also doing all
> the usual remedies. NSAID's, stretching, massage, icing, hoping, and
> praying. Any thoughts? Suggestions and support will be greatly
> appreciated.
>
>
> Thanks to all!

I bagan having IT problems about 12 weeks out from my IM and discovered
(with help) that the culprit was mis-aligned cleats on my cycling shoes. It
turned out that I was aggrivating my IT just enough that it didn't appear
until I broke the 80 mile mark - anything less and my knees could take the
abuse.

My $.02. Make sure your cleats are aligned properly and maybe switch to
pedals with unrestricted float. Did the trick for me.

John

01-13-2005, 06:32 PM

In article <C8FFd.14152$[Only registered and activated users can see links. ].com>,
"John Hardt" <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote:

> I bagan having IT problems about 12 weeks out from my IM and discovered
> (with help) that the culprit was mis-aligned cleats on my cycling shoes. It
> turned out that I was aggrivating my IT just enough that it didn't appear
> until I broke the 80 mile mark - anything less and my knees could take the
> abuse.
>
> My $.02. Make sure your cleats are aligned properly and maybe switch to
> pedals with unrestricted float. Did the trick for me.

I had a professional bike fit where they made sure my cleats were
aligned by using a thing that stuck out from the pedal to show how the
foot was floating through the pedal stroke. They also shimmed my cleats
at an angle to take the pressure off the IT band. But once I got that
all straightened out, I started to have IT band problems when I ran. A
stebility shoe really helped with this.

--Harold Buck

"I used to rock and roll all night,
and party every day.
Then it was every other day. . . ."
-Homer J. Simpson

01-14-2005, 06:26 AM

[Only registered and activated users can see links. ] wrote:
> It seems I'm having some trouble with my ITB. I can't get in to see
my
> orthopaedist until the 28th, so I can't be sure yet. I'm 13 weeks out
> from Ironman Arizona. Reduced running volume hasn't seemed to help
very
> much. Cycling seems to aggrivate it, although to a lesser degree. I'm
> consindering not cycling or running for a couple of weeks. Total
rest.
> It seems like a gamble, but maybe my only option. I'm also doing all
> the usual remedies. NSAID's, stretching, massage, icing, hoping, and
> praying. Any thoughts? Suggestions and support will be greatly
> appreciated.
>
>
> Thanks to all!

Hi! I am currently suffering from some ITBand issues as well and here
are a few things that have helped me. I am not a doctor, so this is
just my opinion, but given your upcoming race and I would recommend 2
things: a few ART treatments and a foam roller. ART is Active Release
Technique and is a relatively new treatment that can really help (or at
least it has me) with IT Band issues. You can find a provider in your
area and more info about it at [Only registered and activated users can see links. ] . Secondly, a foam
roller is a thick piece of (literally) foam that you can roll your IT
Bands on. It hurts quite bad the first few times, but REALLY helps
stretch and loosen the IT Band in ways that traditional stretches can't
(at least, that has been the case for me). Here is a link to one...
[Only registered and activated users can see links. ] .
That will hopefully get you to your doctor's appointment without having
to back off your training too much. Good luck at IM Arizona!!

01-14-2005, 07:52 AM

I second what others have suggested.

Consider running on trails, or do what you can to not run on pavement.
This is what has been saving me.
Now to get that foam roller .....

Mark

01-14-2005, 08:55 AM

MK wrote:
> I second what others have suggested.
>
> Consider running on trails, or do what you can to not run on
pavement.
> This is what has been saving me.
> Now to get that foam roller .....
>
> Mark

Mark,

I would also like to extol the greatness of the foam roller. Go to
your local sporting goods store and buy a foam roller floating device
like you would use in a swimming pool. It will save you some $$.

After suffering through marathon training with an IT Band injury, only
rest helped. However, for my second marathon, I used the roller after
every workout and had no issues whatsoever.

Good luck!

Stu

01-15-2005, 07:52 PM

I had severe ITB problems about a year ago...I'll tell you the good and the
bad. I injured it badly (so bad I could barely walk the day after) about 2
weeks before my goal race. Total rest for a week, Ice, stretching, foam
roller helped a lot. I'm not a doctor, and certainly you should see one
before trying this, but Celebrex (yes, the same drug that has recently been
linked to increased risk of heart attacks) was an absolute miracle drug. It
got me through the race as well as another one a week later with minimal
pain.

The bad is that I did have a severe ITB injury. After the race, and sans
celebrex, it took three months of complete rest and rehab to clear it up.

My recommendation: 2 weeks total rest from running and biking with only
pool running. During that time, a serious stretching regimen including the
foam roller and the ITB stretches at the link below. You should also get
your bike fit checked, and I would also recommend thinking about some
orthotics depending on what your foot structure is like. I have narrow,
flat feet, and these have helped tremendously. You'll also want to explore
doing excercises to strengthen your VMO (link 3 below)...if this is weak, it
can cause additional strain on your ITB.

The first site below is the best I've found, and contains lots of useful
information. The others are good too.

[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]
[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]
[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

Stan

<[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote in message
news:1105641769.672577.41980@c13g2000cwb.googlegro ups.com...
> It seems I'm having some trouble with my ITB. I can't get in to see my
> orthopaedist until the 28th, so I can't be sure yet. I'm 13 weeks out
> from Ironman Arizona. Reduced running volume hasn't seemed to help very
> much. Cycling seems to aggrivate it, although to a lesser degree. I'm
> consindering not cycling or running for a couple of weeks. Total rest.
> It seems like a gamble, but maybe my only option. I'm also doing all
> the usual remedies. NSAID's, stretching, massage, icing, hoping, and
> praying. Any thoughts? Suggestions and support will be greatly
> appreciated.
>
>
> Thanks to all!
>
>