# IT band pain after Century



## rlemmer (Nov 27, 2009)

Rode the Wildflower Century this past weekend in Chico, CA 
Have very sore IT band on one side near my knee---but the knee itself is fine. I was fitted recently and they raised my seat a good bit---that could be the issue but wonder if others have any insight


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## thedago (Sep 30, 2009)

get a foam roller- my IT band tightens all the time since i started riding. roller is the best albeit a very painful way to work it out


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## DonDenver (May 30, 2007)

*thedago* is spot on. 

Now I use the firmer “black roller” rather than the “white” version and roll on our tile floor (more resistance) in a slow movement pattern up and down from hip to knee at center line (full body weight i.e., leg over leg while resting on elbow) then make similar passes on the front and back of leg. I’ll also do calves as well as will align the roller from head to butt and splay out over my back working my length of spine to upper back side to side as a recovery method.

The key is working slowly up to using all your body weight concentrated in a slow process up and down the IT Band…stopping and holding inch to inch now and then. At first practice I found just the white roller on carpet to be extremely painful until I began breaking up the scar tissue (years of overworked tissue without proper recovery). Now my IT Band, sheathing and surrounding muscle tissue is pain free and more supple...noticeably fresh and youthful if you will. 

Rolling became addictive for me after a period of time finding that type of deep massage therapeutic for my recovery cycling and/or any sporting or exercise activity. An absolute must for me now post activity (along with modified Yoga practice). It certainly helped me improve my pedal stroke and ability to maintain a powerful position longer without pain in aero position. Good luck with your 100's.


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## Vee (Jun 17, 2010)

I have two things for my IT band problems. 
1) The Stick
http://www.amazon.com/Gill-Athletic...TSH4/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1304464722&sr=8-2

2) EVA Foam Roller
http://www.amazon.com/36-Inch-Premi...e=UTF8&s=sporting-goods&qid=1304464701&sr=1-2

I use The Stick once a day after my rides and I use the roller once a week the day before my day off. Works great. The first time you use a foam roller you will feel like you just got punched in your sore IT band, but over time it will get SO much better.


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## Dajianshan (Jul 15, 2007)

How long did it take you to work this problem out? 

I thought I was in the clear and then went a hill too far a couple weeks ago. Now I am pack to square one.


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## Vee (Jun 17, 2010)

I think time will vary depending on severity of your agitation (in your IT Band). It took me about two weeks of rolling and stick massage before I experienced little to no pain on rides. I still get the occasional tinge when I ride very hard, but it generally goes away during the ride or directly after. Losening that area up with the foa roller REALLY helps.


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## Gervase (Aug 22, 2009)

Something that is missing, and even as fundamental. We get tight IT bands because of the excercise, it's just as important to Stretch, especially in conjunction with the foam rollers. Do some hip opener's, you will find Yoga is very good at this, just check out some of the poses for stretching the hip. 
I find once you roll, you can then keep well on top of this with regular stretching.


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## heathb (Nov 1, 2008)

One very important thing that the OP mentioned that hasn't been addressed as I suffer from IT band on my right leg. 

ITBsyndrome is one of the few knee issues where you actually want to *lower the saddle*. Not too much, as that can cause strain on the patella, but you want it enough to where your knee isn't close to locked out as that will cause the IT Band to rub the bony area on the side of you knee and cause inflammation. 

You also want to make sure your cleats are *not toe in*. You want you're natural stance and you can find that by sitting on a ledge with your feet dangling in the air to see how far your heels turn inward. Some pedal float also helps. 

I use the orange trigger point roller and it's pretty dang firm. Appearently it works by breaking up the scar tissue and nodes that are inflexible. I also stretch everyday and this seems to help, there are specific IT Band stretches....look on youtube. 

Don't push yourself if the pain is really an issue. If you try to push through the pain you could wind up with chronic pain.


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## rlemmer (Nov 27, 2009)

OK---got my roller out---had one from knee surgery a couple of years ago-----did ride about an hour yesterday real easy and things became a bit sore still--not bad---giving the roller a shot--but man using one of those is painful in the beginning.


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## Cbookman (Jul 2, 2009)

My first century resulted in the same type of experience, and I battled my IT band all summer long last year because of it. A nagging back injury has kept me off the bike for most of the winter, but I picked up a 4" dia. piece of PVC instead of the foam. Yeah, it is painful, and yes, it makes a difference (for me).

I think I have a lot more work to do as it's not simply ok all the time, and I have occasional flareups. I have found that if I do not religiously stretch my quads, hamstrings, hip flexors, and my periformis, I have recurring, nagging pain. A lot of my stretches developed from the PT I did for my back, as I couldn't ride, everything got super tight. Now, I simply add rolling on the quads, hamstrings, and IT band and upper back to pre and post ride activities.


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## Gervase (Aug 22, 2009)

Yes it is painfull, but yes it works, like the others have said. NO pain, NO gain, and as you do more of it, it becomes less painfull to the point of being just a hard massage, 
Persevere with it, as it's probably the best thing, then to make sure you don't get it bad again, you should be doing stretches.
Streching elongates the muscle fibre, causing better, stronger contractions. I have seen powerlifters who can do the splits, they don' t do that for show, just for preparation and or afterwards.
Stretching also increases the blood flow, helping to flush the muscle and ligaments, speeding up recovery. 
So once you have rolled, do stretching, then keep using this till you can just use stretching to keep on top of it. 
Roller is also an excelllent substitute for a massage.


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## UrbanPrimitive (Jun 14, 2009)

A couple notes on rolling things out:
First, the tears will roll. It hurts a lot when you get started. Remember to take it slow. Perhaps more importantly remember to hydrate like heck afterward! You're smooshing out and opening up muscles that have had restricted blood and nutrient flow for some time. There's a lot of collected toxins in those tangled muscle fibers and the muscles themselves are dehydrated. Treat every session on the roller like a massage. At least one liter of water afterward. Also, and this is often overlooked, tight IT bands are frequently mirrored by tight aducters on the inside of the thigh. Gervase was spot on in recommending hip opening exercises.

A good indication, as you're progressing, of what's happening in the muscle structure in your legs is to lie flat on your back and notice how your feet are pointed. Your toes should be pointing just about straight up and the foot relaxing away from your knees at about 20 degrees. Breaking loose the tissue in your feet after a long ride feels really good too. Happy healing.


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## Clyde250 (Feb 24, 2007)

Have your significant other roll it out with a rolling pin while you lay on your side. They will do it harder than you can get yourself to. This also works great to loosen the outer quad, one place that I have found difficult to stretch.


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## Gervase (Aug 22, 2009)

or you could take a concrete pill, and harden up and just "DO IT" .......


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## ZoSoSwiM (Mar 7, 2008)

I picked up a black foam roller from Dicks Sports last Friday.. Rolled my legs out for the first time that night.... WOW.

I hit every part of my legs and talk about tender muscles. Afterward it felt like I was walking lighter with every step.. Now that I've rolled out my legs a few times it feels better but still hurts when I start.

I go 2 times through this order.. Hamstrings, calves, quads, IT bands, lower back. 
I'll do easy static stretches before and after as well to loosen up. 

15 minutes of this seems like great therapy.. See how I feel after a week or so of doing this.


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## Peanya (Jun 12, 2008)

Old post here, but I thought I'd give input, in case the OP is still reading this: 
I had the same pain after a fitting on a long ride too. You might want to look into how much your cleats have moved. What did happen for me, is that my Q factor changed a lot. I moved my cleat outward just a little, and the issue is now solved for me. I haven't lowered my seat, but that could help too.


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## vkmbt7 (May 29, 2011)

Cycling came on the scene in the early 19th century. ... Special attention must be paid to stretching the muscles after use to ensure ... This band supports the arch of the foot and is under strain when the foot is bearing weight. ... The pain will subside with rest and the inflammation usually responds to ice


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## vagabondcyclist (Apr 2, 2011)

Two good videos on stretching and rolling your IT band.


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## the sarge (Jan 10, 2011)

Cleat position, cleat position, cleat position!

I know this is old but for anyone with this problem that plagued me as well after so many frustrating changes a simple cleat adjustment fixed it all. If your cleats have become worn or if you use SPD sl's like me they may have twisted and be putting unnecessary stress on your it band.


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