I'm reposting this from another thread because I would love to get some technical feedback on my idea. As I was running yesterday I was thinking about posting about this because I've had such struggles with ITBS in the past. The worst was last October in the Chicago marathon where I was reduced to walking at mile 24. I finished running but was tremendously painful. This season I've come up with a method that seems to be working for me so I thought I'd share.
Rationalle
1. Everything I've read says that ITBS pain is caused by either exclusively quadriceps muscles, most specifically vastus lateralis tightness, or a combination of Q tightness and weak glutes which allow the knee to drop inward rather than tracking straight forward during the weight bearing part of the running cycle, or just that the relative weakness in the glutes causes excessive tightening in the VL which puts strain on the ITB.
2. In working on my gait and thinking about form I find that I'm usually focused on shock absorption and knee bending and haven't put much thought into my butt
Method
What I've started doing is focusing on my behind while I run. I actively engage my glutes and focus less on my knees/quads. This has two effects. The first is that my legs tend to turn out a bit more than they normally do, so my knee is definitely not dropping in. This makes sense as the glutes are external rotators.
The other is that I push back with my legs more than I have in the past. By slightly tightening my core (abs) I'm able to kick back more effectively and let my legs pull forward more elastically rather than by pulling them forward.
The big thing here is that my IT bands are loosening up. Since starting training this season they have always been a background worry for me, not quite painful yet, but obviously tightening up and reacting badly and to my training. Now they are letting loose. I've only been doing this for a couple of weeks but it seems to be working (fingers are crossed).
Has anyone had a similar experience or have something to add?
Rationalle
1. Everything I've read says that ITBS pain is caused by either exclusively quadriceps muscles, most specifically vastus lateralis tightness, or a combination of Q tightness and weak glutes which allow the knee to drop inward rather than tracking straight forward during the weight bearing part of the running cycle, or just that the relative weakness in the glutes causes excessive tightening in the VL which puts strain on the ITB.
2. In working on my gait and thinking about form I find that I'm usually focused on shock absorption and knee bending and haven't put much thought into my butt
Method
What I've started doing is focusing on my behind while I run. I actively engage my glutes and focus less on my knees/quads. This has two effects. The first is that my legs tend to turn out a bit more than they normally do, so my knee is definitely not dropping in. This makes sense as the glutes are external rotators.
The other is that I push back with my legs more than I have in the past. By slightly tightening my core (abs) I'm able to kick back more effectively and let my legs pull forward more elastically rather than by pulling them forward.
The big thing here is that my IT bands are loosening up. Since starting training this season they have always been a background worry for me, not quite painful yet, but obviously tightening up and reacting badly and to my training. Now they are letting loose. I've only been doing this for a couple of weeks but it seems to be working (fingers are crossed).
Has anyone had a similar experience or have something to add?