IT Band Syndrome

Where does it hurt?

• Outside of Knee
• Outside of Hip
• Tender on the outside of thigh
• Usually you won’t have much pain when you start running but the pain increases the longer you run
• Running downhill is more painful than running uphill

Why does it hurt?

• IT Band has gotten too tight
• The IT Band is rubbing on the padding (called bursa) that protects your hip and knee. The padding then gets irritated and swollen
• The outside of your hip (hip abductor muscles) are weak
• The roads you run on are slanted, like running on the side of a mountain.
• You are running on a small indoor track, and don’t switch directions often enough
• One leg is longer than the other

Road to Recovery:

• Rest
• Ice
• Change your training plan
• Don’t run on indoor tracks, change the direction you are running
• Decrease hill training
• Physicians and physical therapists may find a simple way to help if your legs are different lengths
• Stretch
• If you don’t know how to stretch this area…find a physical therapist who does.