How to Prevent and Treat
IT Band Injury
IT Band injury involves the injury of the large
ligament that runs from the outside of the hip, across the lateral side
of the thigh, and below the knee on the lateral side. Injury to the
ligament is often the result of overuse, uneven distribution of weight
within the lower body, or repetitive over stretching of the ligament. To
help treat and prevent IT Band injuries, do the following IT Band
exercises listed below on a regular basis. I have also included IT Band
Syndrome prevent information pertaining to weight distribution, proper
form, and compression.
Strengthen the IT Band. With a few simple exercises you will do much to
prevent IT Band injury by making your IT Band and the muscles in that
region stronger, stabilizing the area and making it resistant to strain.
- For the first exercise, lye on the floor at
your side. Bend your bottom knee to stabilize yourself. Lift your top
leg until it is perpendicular to the floor. Do 20-25 reps. Complete
three sets for each leg with 2-3 minute rests in between.
- The second exercise simply involves balancing on one leg. Start out by
just standing on one leg for one minute. As you get better, you can
experiment a little. Try leaning forward. Then with hands together
extend your arms in different directions on each set. Toss a tennis ball
or bounce it against a wall and try to catch it. Do three 1-2 minute
sets for each leg with 2-3 minute rests in between. Increase the sets to
3-5 minutes long as you get better.
Stretch the IT Band. You can also prevent IT Band injury by making your
IT Band flexible. You will give it the ability to resist pulls and
tears. Below are a couple exercises that you can do to stretch your IT
Band.
- In the first exercise, stand with one leg crossed in front of the
other. With knees locked, lean forward towards the rear leg. Try to
touch the big toe. Hold for 30-60 seconds. Do three sets for each leg
with 1-2 minute rests in between.
- In the second exercise, sit on the floor with one leg extended in
front and the other crossed over. Slowly pull the top leg as close as
possible to your chest. Hold for 30-60 seconds. Do three sets for each
leg with 1-2 minute rests in between.
Run on flat surfaces. IT Band Injury can result from excessive pronation
or supination. When running on uneven surfaces, you basically cause the
foot to point to one side or the other, versus the ideal straight path.
This in turn causes a twisting affect on the IT Band, which aggravates
it. For example, running on the right side of a banked road causes the
left foot to turn inwards, which causes the left IT Band to shift right.
If the bank is steep enough, the right foot will also shift to the right
and the right IT Band will shift to the right and become injured. To
ensure that you are distributing your weight evenly across your lower
body, try to find as many flat surfaces as you can to run on.
Alternatively, switch the side of the road that you run on from time to
time during your workout.
Keep your strides short. The IT Band will become aggravated if you over
stride, even if you run on even surfaces. Over striding makes the IT
Band stretch past healthy thresholds and too fast. To keep your IT Band
healthy, take shorter strides with knees slightly bent.
Wear the right type of shoes. This concept sort of compliments the
concept of IT Band injury caused by running on uneven surfaces. But
instead of an uneven surface causing an uneven distribution of your
foot's gait cycle, the wrong type of shoes can as well. Make sure that
you are wearing shoes that will work with your unique foot mechanics and
ensure proper alignment of the lower body. In general, runners with flat
feet need a class of shoe known as motion control, which are very stiff
and firm. They should avoid shoes that are very flexible (neutral
category), which are made for high arches. Runners with medium arches
need shoes that are stiff only in the midfoot.
Click here to learn how to
choose running shoes appropriate for your particular biomechanics.
Wear an IT Band brace. As discussed earlier, the IT Band will become
aggravated if there is too much stretching and twisting. Wearing an IT
Band brace that wraps around the lower quad area will help you avoid IT
Band Syndrome by compressing the IT Band, preventing excessive movement.
More Running Injury Prevention Links
How to Prevent Running Injuries
How to Prevent Running Shin Splints
How to Treat
Plantar Fasciitis
How to Prevent and
Treat IT Band Injury
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