IT band injuries are one of the more common problems that runners experience. In this post, we'll take a look at some of the Iliotibial Band Syndrome Treatment options available.
It is important to get your leg checked out if you are showing symptoms of iliotibial band syndrome. Rest and ice are some of the best ways to treat the injury. However, there are several other ways to treat it as well that might give you a long-term solution. This includes stretches, physical therapy, and knee braces.
There are several different stretches that you can do to help cure your iliotibial band injury. A very common stretch is the side leg raise. Lie down on your side, and then, raise your top leg to a 45-degree angle. After that, lower it down its starting position and repeat for 25 reps on each leg.
Another stretch is the clamshell. Once again, you are going to lie down on your side. This time, bend your knees at a right angle. Open up your legs like a clamshell without moving your pelvis or core. You want to do this for about 25 reps.
Hip thrusts are a great stretch that is done on your back. Thrust your hips up, keeping your body in a straight line. Bring your hips back down, while driving your heels into the ground. You will do this exercise for about 25 reps.
The side hip bridge is an exercise that will also help with treatment for your iliotibial band syndrome. Lie down on your slide with your feet elevated about 1-2 feet in the air (Fitzgerald, 2016). “Push your bottom foot down and lift your torso using your hip muscles while keeping a stable spine” (Fitzgerald, 2016). Afterwards, you will return to the starting position.
Fitzgerald also suggests doing side shuffles. You start by slightly bending your knees as if you were doing a squat. You will then take 10 steps to the side. Then, return in the same position (Fitzgerald, 2016).
I’ve done pistol squats in the past, and they have helped with stretching out your band. You are supposed to stand on one leg before squatting down to a 90-degree angle. You want to do this with a slow and controlled motion to avoid any injuries. You will do this about 10 different times.
Finally, hip hikes are a great exercise. “You will stand on your right foot. With your pelvis in a neutral position, drop the left side so it is several inches below the right side of your pelvic bone” (Fitzgerald, 2016). You will then lift your left side back the starting position. Make sure this is slow and controlled.
Overall, there are several different exercises and stretches that will help your iliotibial band. Rolling out the band can also help substantially when it comes to loosening up the muscles around it. You can also do physical therapy for the injury.
When it comes to treating iliotibial band injuries, you are going to see a very soft approach that involves a lot of rest. The doctor will start by decreasing the amount of exercise you are doing in your day to day routine.
Your physical therapist will more than likely use heat and stretches to help you loosen up your muscles before any exercises. Once they have you finish the activity, they will apply ice to the injury.
Physical therapy is a great way to go about treatment for an iliotibial band injury because of the advice you can get for your workout routine. Also, the therapist will be able to help you maintain a healthy workout routine that will not hurt your band more.
Normally, the therapist is going to focus on lowering any amounts of inflammation around the muscles. They might have you do different stretches and use heating and cooling to really help your injury heal.
Not only that, therapists can also help diagnose what is causing the injury. If it is due to excessive tightness, then the therapist will be able to help loosen up the muscles around it. They will also give you proper stretches that you can do on your own to alleviate in pain or tightness.
Your therapist can also use massage techniques to loosen up the injured band. Normally, the massage will take place while the iliotibial band is lengthened and stretched. Massage techniques really helped when it came to loosening up the muscles that were tight around my iliotibial band when I was in high school.
As you progress through the physical therapy program, your therapist will start to give you more home remedies and create a stretching routine with you. The routine will help you prevent further injury and keep you loose. Physical therapy is very beneficial if you have iliotibial band syndrome.
Finally, some people like to use knee braces to treat iliotibial band injuries. The job of the brace is to give support to your iliotibial band, while you are doing activity. This works really well when you are mixing it with other treatments.
It is also suggested to wear proper shoes in order to cut down on further injury. Ice, heat, and stretches mixed with rest are also very good to mix with a knee brace. You can find some great knee braces at a good price online.
Overall, there are several ways that you can treat iliotibial band syndrome. A lot of rest mixed with icing is a very beneficial way to bring healing. However, you need to mix it with stretches.
Physical therapy will help you find the cause of the injury and make adjustments. Your physical therapist will help you make an action plan for after therapy, and they might suggest a knee brace. Seek treatment if you are showing symptoms of Iliotibial band syndrome. The sooner you do, the quicker you can find healing.
