First IT band issues, and now my hip pops, what gives???

[dreadpirate]

man, I am in the same boat!

I have been fighting with my ITB for a couple of years now. I had orthotics, they weren't helping, I ditched them after a year and a half (3 iterations of changes to the orthotics).

My hip hurts when I'm NOT running, interestingly. It hurts when I'm sitting. However, I have found that working on my calf will release my hip pain.

I ran my first timed half marathon two weeks ago, no problem. I ran up a steep trail the week after, no problem. I went to the Colorado Relay this weekend - PROBLEM! The pain at the side of my knee stopped me about halfway through my second leg!

I have the same hip hurt me on a bike, but less so.

I roll it every night. I get regular massage.

Please - tell me the answers! I haven't tried accupuncture, I dunno...

[KnottedYet]

Fun trivia: the IT band kind of melds into the compartments of the calf and the achilles tendon. If you can relieve your hip pain by stretching your calf, it really does make sense!

DreadPirateRoberts - I would look at your feet if I were doing your PT, too. My first thought would be to check the heel cup of the orthotics or insoles you were using. It might help you to have a deep and sturdy heel cup like on Superfeet Green insoles or Spectrum Stabilizer insoles. (or Birkenstocks). Sometimes if the heel is unstable it leads to achilles/calf issues (which could yank on your entire IT band.)

[dreadpirate]

Huh. Heelcup you say...interesting!

When the problem started (in the relay) I was wearing my second, not-so-sure-about-these pair of shoes (a pair of Sauconys, fairly recent purchase) - and not my tried and trusty Asics Gel Kayanos.

I took them back to the shoe store yesterday and let them look at all my shoes. They said the Sauconys were a completely different (non control type) shoe from the Asics (a control shoe).

I'm reading that control shoes can help eliminate ITB problems, so this makes sense. Even so, the shoe store was reluctant to say that the shoe is the problem.

So I bought a Patt strap http://www.fabrifoam.com/p-pattstrap.html that I probably won't see until next week.

I've done nothing so far this week.

I'm reading that ITB is made worse by sitting (which is maybe why I feel it from sitting in a deskjob all day).

And I'm freakin' - because I have a half-iron race at the end of next month!!! Eeep!