topic Re: IT Band Syndrome in Wellness

IT Band Syndrome

SeaMaiden — Sun, 06 Nov 2022 15:09:21 GMT

Has anyone dealt with or is dealing with this? Believe this is what my Husband has...has had it now for Two weeks...he is icing it...using a can or a crutch...hoping it will go away...terrible pain. Just taking Tylenol and turmeric for the inflammation....

no injuries to the knee... no inflammation that is visible.

I think it is just aging and probably years of being inactive.... he will not let me discuss THAT with him... will call me a nag...🙄🫢

Re: IT Band Syndrome

JeanLouiseFinch — Sun, 06 Nov 2022 15:23:54 GMT

@SeaMaiden My husband struggled with this off and on during his running years, once during the Chicago Marathon when he was still far from the finish line. There are stretching exercises that can help plus a rolling exercise that uses a foam roller. You can find tutorials on YouTube for IT Band Stretches (or a similar type search). Good luck to your husband.

Re: IT Band Syndrome

mspatmac — Sun, 06 Nov 2022 15:26:19 GMT

There is a lot of information on line about this but from what I read he's on the right track but there are more suggestions offered.

Re: IT Band Syndrome

jackthebear — Sun, 06 Nov 2022 15:27:28 GMT

@SeaMaiden wrote:
Has anyone dealt with or is dealing with this? Believe this is what my Husband has...has had it now for Two weeks...he is icing it...using a can or a crutch...hoping it will go away...terrible pain. Just taking Tylenol and turmeric for the inflammation....

no injuries to the knee... no inflammation that is visible.

I think it is just aging and probably years of being inactive.... he will not let me discuss THAT with him... will call me a nag...🙄🫢

PT boring as f, but helps

Re: IT Band Syndrome

chrystaltree — Sun, 06 Nov 2022 15:39:49 GMT

Not me but it's not uncommon, I saw it hundreds of times in medical records at work. It's when the big ligament that runs from the pelvis down tightens and rubs against the thigh bone. Athletes get it. People who bend their legs repetitively get it. Some get it and they don't know why. Treatment where I worked was always physical.therapy, ice packs, rest, Tylenol.or Motrin. It almost always heals after a few weeks. I saw it in patients of all ages, and activity levels so I don't believe it's related to age. Even young kids can get it.

Re: IT Band Syndrome

brandiwine — Sun, 06 Nov 2022 15:38:43 GMT

Do you happen to have a pool near by? Therapy pool that is around 90 degrees is ideal. It's much easier to stretch and if he can use the floaty water weights and stay suspended, it will help. At our gym I can talk to a trainer who will give me ideas for specifics or if your DH will do 1 session with a physical therapist, they can help design a water program for him. Hope he feels better soon

Re: IT Band Syndrome

SeaMaiden — Sun, 06 Nov 2022 15:45:27 GMT

@brandiwine wrote:
Do you happen to have a pool near by? Therapy pool that is around 90 degrees is ideal. It's much easier to stretch and if he can use the floaty water weights and stay suspended, it will help. At our gym I can talk to a trainer who will give me ideas for specifics or if your DH will do 1 session with a physical therapist, they can help design a water program for him. Hope he feels better soon

@brandiwine DH is as Stubborn as " H"...maybe he will go to a physical therapist after going for his yearly checkup come end of the month...he is good if a doctor suggests something....but will not listen to me... great suggestion though!

Re: IT Band Syndrome

hckynutjohn — Sun, 06 Nov 2022 15:51:39 GMT

@SeaMaiden

This is 1 of the many issues I had during my several decades of running Road Races. Mine surfaced as possibly being a knee/hip/lower back problem. It effected all 3 areas of my body.

My first inclination was to suspect my back, because I had back surgery. More specifically because it mimicked Sciatic Nerve pain, what I went through prior to my L-5/S-1 lumbar discs being removed.

From my experiences with Chondromalacia Patella, pain around the knee. It also caused pain around my right hip, which made it even harder to figure out where the source began and ended. Thanks to several Running Clinics I had attended, I was able to know it was ITBS, and things to do which helped it, for me.

I got some guidelines from a couple Exercise Physiologists, and they also told me to improvise them to suit my specific, individual body makeup.

Of course ICE is always the first go to when pains occur. What worked for me was stretching, in specific ways, all the muscles and connective tissues around the hip joint.

I found what worked for me and did them on a regular basis, moreso at the onset of the ITBS. It gradually and stubbornly went away. My Chiropractor, who was a friend, used to call me about a patient he had with ITBS symptoms.

At my next visit, I showed him exactly, the different ways I did my stretches, and suggested he might have his patient try them and see if it helped with their ITBS. From that point on he showed them to all his patients he diagnosed with ITBS.

Will see if I can find any pictures, or videos, that replicate these stretches that ended my problem with my lliotibial Band.

That and Plantar Fasciitis were 2 of the types of injuries that were stubborn and took Committment/Patience in working ones way through it.

I hope your Husband has success finding the source(s)of his ITBS, and dealing with those issues at the start. Causes? There are a Myriad of things that can cause ITBS, and by my keeping a very inclusive diary of my every day runs. I was able to use the Process of Elimination to find my causes, which were not singular.

hckynut 🇺🇸

Re: IT Band Syndrome

SeaMaiden — Sun, 06 Nov 2022 16:29:56 GMT

@hckynutjohn Thank you for your interesting information. My Husband is not active at all... as you are and have been most of your life...

I would call him a couch potato, not to be calling him names...but, he "chooses" to be inactive and other than mowing the grass a couple of times a year, he is sitting in front of the TV watching car races.... or laying in bed reading or on his phone... from chair to bed... no walking or exercise of any kind.

He is not overweight, not an over eater.... which is a good thing. But not probably in good physical health being inactive. I feel this is what brought this on.

There is really nothing I can do will motivate him to move more... I become a nag if I bring it up to him. And since he never tells me what to do or anything like that, I really should not tell him what to do. I am sure he knows.... I just hope he decides on his own to start moving more and taking care of himself.

Re: IT Band Syndrome

Zhills — Sun, 06 Nov 2022 17:14:04 GMT

It's hard to be active when movement hurts!

IT Band Syndrome is very painful. Very!

Re: IT Band Syndrome

jlkz — Sun, 06 Nov 2022 20:02:26 GMT

@SeaMaiden

Yes, I had Iliotibial band syndrome last summer. It lasted almost 8-10 weeks. I used a heating pad for the first two weeks only because it made the pain lessen. I found out later that I should have taken Aleve instead of Advil.

Doing simple household chores got the painful ache to restart: loading or unloading the dishwasher, bending to pick something up from the floor, bending to straighten and smooth out the sheets, sitting in certain chairs or swings, etc.

It seems that we spent long weekends packing up a large vacation that sold quickly. Up and down stairs up and down ladders to empty cabinets, lifting filled bins to go into the van, unloading the van, unloading the bins and filling donation bins, and then reorganizing shelves to accommodate anything I wanted to include at home all helped bring on the problem.

The pain lasted and lasted. I would never wish it on anyone ! My doctor suggested that I sort of squat when dealing with the dishwasher but that proved to be difficult to do. I don't think being 77 then had anything to do with it. My home is a rancher so not a lot of stairs !

Be patient with your DH....the horrible pain will very slowly disappear.

Re: IT Band Syndrome

SeaMaiden — Sun, 06 Nov 2022 20:03:29 GMT

@Zhills wrote:
It's hard to be active when movement hurts!

IT Band Syndrome is very painful. Very!

@Zhills Oh yes, I understand that. But prior to him having this issue, he just was not active at all.... I think sitting to much prior to the band syndrome brought it on....

Re: IT Band Syndrome

hckynutjohn — Sun, 06 Nov 2022 20:26:52 GMT

@Zhills wrote:
It's hard to be active when movement hurts!

IT Band Syndrome is very painful. Very!

@Zhills

I agree, it hurts. Unlike many other real pain issues, ITBS should not be debilitating, unless one chooses to do nothing to make it better.

Most of the years I dealt with ITBS and Plantar Fasciitis, I was in my mid to late 40's. Both didn't feel the best when running, but neither of them were made worse by running. Finding the right things to do, over time, pretty much eliminated them.

Like many others, I hoped I could wish them away, but that doesn't work in real life. But, doing nothing to help, is what one gets in return, nothing!

Since @SeaMaiden just described her Husband, in her reply to my novel length post? He certainly didn't come up with this pain from overworking any muscle groups.

For men like she described her husband, I have no feelings, when it comes them dealing with pain. Everyone at some point deals with physical pain. What one is willing to do about it is up to each individual.

My sympathy goes to @SeaMaiden because if she suggests something, I guess he feels she is a nag. Fortunately my life's partner has bared with me through a whole lot of injuries, and serious health issues. A "nag"? For me to say that would be an insulting term, and one I have never uttered.

hckynut 🇺🇸
.

Re: IT Band Syndrome

Zhills — Sun, 06 Nov 2022 20:56:13 GMT

You're right, John, but unless you are an athlete, it is doubly difficult.

I've had 3 babies and ITBS and the lingering ITBS is much more painful!

Re: IT Band Syndrome

Zhills — Sun, 06 Nov 2022 22:27:41 GMT

@SeaMaiden wrote:
Has anyone dealt with or is dealing with this? Believe this is what my Husband has...has had it now for Two weeks...he is icing it...using a can or a crutch...hoping it will go away...terrible pain. Just taking Tylenol and turmeric for the inflammation....

no injuries to the knee... no inflammation that is visible.

I think it is just aging and probably years of being inactive.... he will not let me discuss THAT with him... will call me a nag...🙄🫢

@SeaMaiden I have suffered from what appeared as ITBS for several years. The PT guy said it is not ITBS.....same pain! I recently bought a copper sleeve for my knee?? (don't know why) and it helps!

Don't know why, but it helps. Pain does not keep me awake at night. Good sleep helps everything!

Not a recommended remedy for ITBS or (?) but it works...that's all that matters!

Re: IT Band Syndrome

SeaMaiden — Mon, 07 Nov 2022 00:24:10 GMT

@Zhills I will see what Amazon has in Copperr sleeves....thanks the suggestion!

Re: IT Band Syndrome

Sapphiregal — Mon, 07 Nov 2022 19:39:00 GMT

How can you just assume that his pain is IT Band Syndrome if he hasn't consulted with a doctor about it?

Re: IT Band Syndrome

SeaMaiden — Tue, 08 Nov 2022 11:30:13 GMT

@Sapphiregal wrote:
How can you just assume that his pain is IT Band Syndrome if he hasn't consulted with a doctor about it?

@Sapphiregal All the symptoms are there...no X-ray or mri can diagnose this....so a Dr is just going to go by symptoms as well...out of book or online.

Re: IT Band Syndrome

Zhills — Tue, 08 Nov 2022 16:09:45 GMT

There are several "causes" of outer thigh pain and they all hurt in the same place!

My Doctor said ITBS, PT said "no way." Bursitis?

Very difficult to diagnose. Even more difficult to treat!

Relief is the answer....lidocaine patch or copper sleeve works for me.

Re: IT Band Syndrome

Skyegirl21 — Tue, 08 Nov 2022 16:14:13 GMT

Have him also try a hot pack, and gentle stretches afterward. Sometimes it's tight and ice isn't helping it-