ITB pain - help wanted

macs

My ITB is hurting me on the bike during tough climbs. I have previously suffered from ITB pain but only when running. I had put this down to short hamstring muscles from 13 years of cycling and not much running, then when i jumped in at the deep end with my running it didn't like it. I haven't been running for a good 4 months or so and now the ITB is hurting when biking.

Is there an underlying issue that a chiropractor could sort out or do i just need some good stretches and if so which ones?

Dr_Death

Do you have clipless peddles?? Maladjusted cleats (too much toe-in) is a common cause as is pushing too big a gear on climbs and a low saddle. Try adjusting one of these at a time....

specializedone

Had a similar problem when I first got my new bike - raised the saddle and did this stretch:

Sit squarely in an upright chair; Shin at 90 degrees to thigh when feet on floor
Lift ankle (sore leg) onto other knee
Press knee down and out while slooowly leaning forward - count to 15, 20, 25, 30 etc and release
Repeat as required over a number of days to ease band down outside of thigh

Caution: If you lean forward too agressively you may pull a muscle just next to your spine just below where a trouser-belt sits.

This will be more uncomfortable than your thigh!

Finally if you google i band syndrome you will find an ebook for about £7.50 - I bought it and it helped me solve my problem,

mea00csf

Go to a good sports physio.

ITB is the resulting pain, it isn't a definition of what's wrong. I got ITB and went to a sports physio, it turned out that i had weak glutes and when tired my knee tended to fall inwards while running. The "cure" was lots of exercise to strengthen glutes and lots of core stability work. At the same time, the physio treating me was also treating another lady for ITB, the cause of hers was from ankles/feet. He was a physio for the RAF so knew his stuff.

Knees are funny things, they tend to give people the most pain, but are rarely the cause of it, that's almost always something further up or further down.

theuncharmed

ITB kept me out of the Paras!

I can't stress enough how important it is to make sure you have a strong core, glutes and a good gait. Lots of planks, squats and lunges in perfect form will sort you out.

Look for ITB stretches online and peform them properly every other night. I still have problems with mine [both sides!], but a good stretching session for a weeks keeps the pain away for the month.

Rolling mat stretch

My fav stretch is with a rolled mat and to basically roll your leg down the side and back of your leg.

Like these find ladies are doing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8LcvEB_ZEA - crap technique, but I'll forgive them because they're cute

spannerchucker

The ITB is the iliotibial band which is a fibrous band running from the hip to the tibia and it's function is to straighten the knee.ITB syndrome is the name given to the pain. I've successfully treated several people with this over the years, albeit runners, hence the layman's term, 'runner's knee'. Despite several of them being told they'd need operations to fix it, we managed to fix the problem between us with a mixture of stretching exercises and deep tissue massage. We also looked at where they were running and all had been running on cambered surfaces which makes me tend to agree with a previous comment about your cleats not being set up correctly causing a twist and hence tension on the ITB, if you're using cleats of course. There are several 'virtual sports injury clinics' out there that could possibly point you in the right direction. I would say though, to stop doing anything that aggrevates it until you've sorted it. This injury is an overuse kind of injury and can in certain circumstances be difficult to treat if left too long. Hope this hopes a little and good luck.
Andy.

missgroover

I've been having some knee issues but I'm not sure if it is ITB or not.
Had aches and pains on and off since I was about 11 but recently both of my knees have ached like heck after a ride and sometimes upto 24 hours after. Seems to be beneath my kneecap area. I had dicolfenac for a month as I was training for SITS etc and thet helped but am off it now.
Over the BH weekend we were in the black mountains and so a lot of climbing, after day 1 (30 miles) my right knee was agony - I could not bend it and the pain was in the usual area but also a sharp stab at the back of my knee when trying to flex or extend it. Is this ITB?
I rode again Sunday and it eased off when riding, but was vile afterwards once I'd cooled down. Have rested it since and started a high dose of ibuprofen and it seems to be settling. I'll take the rest of the week off the bike but ultimataly will need to get back on it as I'll be commuting daily come mid sept.
Does this sound like ITB or not?

theuncharmed

@missgroover

You say the pain is at the bottom of your kneecap and behind your knee?

ITB is a band that runs down the side of your leg and to the side of your knee.

I've had pain before at the bottom of my knee due to ITB, but never from behind the knee.

Personally I would get myself off to a doc and have it checked out. Due plenty of gentle stretching, RICE [Google it] and rest.

But if you've had problems with your knees since you were a kid, then it could be something genetic or from a result of an injury from that period.

In summary I'd say it's not ITB, but I'm not a professional. Seek out some advice from a doc and go from there.

Cheers
Sean

mea00csf

I would agree, doesn't sound like ITB. ITB is usually a pain down the outside of your knee, and sometimes around at the bottom of you knee and is caused by the ITB band rubbing on the side of your kneecap.
I'd get straight to a doc and get referral to a physio. Try not to do much on it, ceratinly no 30 mile walks (!!) until you know what it is. If you're desperate to get out again, pay to see a good sports physio, they'll at least be able to tell you what's wrong and whether you can continue with exercise or if you need to stop all exercise to avoid further damage.

missgroover

Thanks guys, I didn't think it was ITB but thought I'd ask the question. I'm awway for work for 2 weeks so will see how it goes before getting to the doc, may do a bit of gentle swimming in the meantime as I hate having to sit still!

cyclingphysio

It's likely a gluteal muscle imbalance at the heart of the problem. There are a series of videos here http://cyclingphysio.com/?p=72 that will explain it in more detail. You should try consulting a physio for further evaluation. It sounds like glut max is most deficient resulting in too much power generation from the quad.

Good luck
dave