# Iliotibial Band Syndrome (ITBS) - ouch!



## knuckledragger

I'm regular and my left outer knee was killing me toward the end of the day once. I shrugged it off as just being out of shape early season, but after seeing a physical therapist it turns out I've got ITBS. 

Has anyone ever had this? It's really common in long-distance runners, but I can't find anything about snowboarders getting it. 

What's the recovery time like? What stretches and exercises are most helpful to you? What was the cause of your injury (it seems to be a combination of overuse and poor core strength for me). I skidded through the big park the other day and can't wait to hit some booters again. Hopefully it's stilll in the cards this season?

Thanks for sharing any stories or advice!


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## Soggysnow

knuckledragger said:


> I'm regular and my left outer knee was killing me toward the end of the day once. I shrugged it off as just being out of shape early season, but after seeing a physical therapist it turns out I've got ITBS.
> 
> Has anyone ever had this? It's really common in long-distance runners, but I can't find anything about snowboarders getting it.
> 
> Thanks for sharing any stories or advice!


Yup I have it due to many other things going o within my knee and related muscles.
I had dislocated my knee years ago which is the main reason I keep suffering from this problem.
Another popular reason that people get this is running. Running can affect patella tracking.

When I riding i wold get a searing pain on the outside of my quad (leading leg same as previous patella trauma) and I would have to come down the mountain due to pain and also not having proper control of my body. My riding would get very sloppy.

So physio had work on it (extreme massage/trigger point) as it was so tight that stretching was going to pull my kneecap to the side even more.

There is a 4 point stretch you can do if its not too tight. Its best to look up videos but here is a informational page:
The best damn IT band stretch ever « b-reddy.org

The best thing you can do at home is roll out the IT band by using a foam roller or if you don't have that a large pop bottle filled with liquid or ice will work too. 









You will want to make sure that a few other things are in check too. That you VMO (small muscle that bulges at inside of knee) is activated. You can rest your leg on that foam roller and rotate it out and do simple leg lifts, not lifting your knee off the roller. If this muscle is working it will stop the muscles on the outside of the leg from trying to do all the work.

Check how tight your hamstrings and glutes are. Regular stretching especially the glutes helps. Also make sure that your Glute muscles are activated. 
Lay on your side and tuck your legs a little up on top of each other. Make a clam movement with your legs.

I know I have added a few other things here which may not be specific to your problem, but it doesn't hurt to do all these anyway to help keep proper tracking of your patella.

Most exercises for this issue can be done while watching TV.


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## airblaster503

Focus on stretching your hip flexors. I used to distance run and developed this bad. Hip Flexor stretches plus foam roller are your best friend. And do things like pistol squats to help strengthen the area.


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## jdang307

I got it on the 2nd day of a 3 day tahoe trip last year (alpine meadows). I had my bindings set up pretty good, but wondered if it could be improved. I'm a shorter fellow so I figured I'd bring it in one notch. Big mistake and ended up straining my IB (outside of my front leg) on an aggressive run. Never felt that before ever.

The next day took it easy and it didn't bother me. Was fine all offseason but went to Thailand in December, and did a 25 minute trek across the city in a rush (had to make a dinner and didn't have a cell phone) and it flared up on me on the way back. Been bothering me ever since and has now expanded to an occasional knee clicking when I walk aggresively.

Something got thrown out of whack and I need to figure out what it is. On my most recent trip to Seattle it didn't bother me the first day but it was a grueling day, and it hit me the second day a bit. It stops as soon as I ease up off it.


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## airblaster503

Go see a physical therapist or even someone who does sports massages. They will be able to give you a good idea of what your problem is and how to fix it. IT band syndrome is mainly just the muscle that is your IT band, going from your hip/glutes to attaching below the knee being tight. You need to stretch this, and more importantly your hip flexors. Also strengthen the area because most of the time this is caused by a muscle imbalance. That is why I recommended pistol squats(one leg squats). A quick google search would help you since this is a very common injury.


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## Extremo

At least someone else is going through the same agony I am. I suffered a bone contusion over a year ago and returned to activity too soon and have been dealing with ITB syndrome ever since. 

I'm too impatient to stick with the morons at PT (I never have the same person for more than a few sessions and everyone has their own theory on how to rehab it, and noones is the same). 

I've found icing it to be the best remedy. If it starts to inflame I ice immediately when I get home, and a few hours later, and can go days of riding without recurring pain.


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## knuckledragger

Thanks guys for all your input! After 4 weeks of physical therapy with 2x daily stretching, core strengthening, and icing, I feel great again. 

When I first noticed the pain I thought I'd never be 100% again. How wrong I was! For those still injured - keep stretching and strengthening!

One great thing about this injury - my switch riding has never been better. I finally dialed in sw bs 3's and cab 3's as well as aggressive switch carving. 

Feels good to feel good.


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