Iliotibial band (ITB) syndrome

Has anyone here had first hand experience successfully rehabilitating ITB syndrome? About a week ago the outer side of my right my right knee started hurting about 12 miles into a run. After a few unsuccessful attempts to continue running I walked 6.5 miles back home. Since then I've diagnosed the pain as ITB syndrome and have been sifting through a huge amount of often conflicting info on the web regarding approaches to rehabilitating.

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

I had IT band issues about 12 years ago. My doctor said there were several things that could have caused it. For me, I think it was because my shoes were old. Also, at the time I was running only on roads, and they sloped down to the curb and gutter. I always ran towards traffic, so my left side always slightly sloped down. Oh and knowing me, I most likely upped my mileage too fast.

First I had to get new shoes, and then I tried to run on roads that were flatter (not as sloped towards the gutter). What really helped me was stretching. I would jog a mile or two, and then stop for a minute or so and stretch it out. One really easy stretch to do while you are out running is to bend over and touch your toes. Then cross one foot over the other and bend over and touch your toes. If you kind of lean over to the side a little bit, you should be able to feel it stretch your IT band. Any time I started feeling tight, I stopped and did that stretch. When I got home, I would do more stretches and sometimes even iced it. My IT band doesn't bother me very much anymore, but sometimes I like to use a foam roller or "the stick" to roll out the band.

I hope that helps you! Good luck!

Oh, and you want to make sure that it is the IT band, and not Runner's Knee. My experience (it might be different for other people) is that the IT band was tight at the beginning of my run, but eventually was ok. And then it was really tight after I was done running. With Runner's Knee, it wasn't as bad at the beginning of the run, but got progressively worse. I had one long run that I had to walk home like you, because my knee was hurting so much.

With Runner's Knee, it also happened to me because I was trying to go too far too soon. You would think I would learn! Also, I am not very good about cross training. So my hamstrings get really strong from all of the running, but my quads are not as strong. They become unbalanced, and when my legs are overtired from running farther than my body is ready, my muscles can't hold my knee cap in place, so it starts rubbing and causing pain. What has worked for me, is to ride my bike. It strengthens my quads and prevents Runner's Knee.

Good luck in figuring it out.