Listen to the (IT) Band

So my knee held up during the Leeds half, but within minutes of finishing it became extremely sore and stiff. The pain was on the outside of my left knee, running from about halfway down the knee cap to just underneath. After a bit of "googling" that evening, I discovered it was illiotibial band syndrome (ITBS). Ok, so now I know what's causing the pain how do I get rid of it and how quickly? One of the main causes of ITBS is running on banked pavements or roads, especially if you run regularly in the same direction. This seemed the most likely cause as I was guilty of doing my circular long runs in the same direction, so the left leg was constantly on the slope of the pavement. The next question was how to treat it and get back out on the road? As I've put myself through a lot of miles since January and my next big target is the Chester marathon in Oct, for once I could afford myself the luxury of taking a couple of weeks out. That was the rest part covered but what about exercises or stretches to speed up the recovery. Looking on the net and through some of the running books I've acquired over the years (The Runner's Body by Tucker, Dugas and Fitzgerald is one of my favourites and can be picked up fairly cheaply - on amazon and the like), there are plenty of stretching exercises to help loosen the IT band so that it stops rubbing on the outside of the knee. Some of the advice also suggests regularly placing ice packs on the swollen area. However, what should you do if there is no swelling? My theory on swelling (and it is supported by others) is that it is not always a bad thing and if managed properly it can do some good. Essentially swelling is the bodies way of allowing more blood cells, and nutrients to gain access to an area where damaged cells need to be removed or repaired. If swelling is allowed to persist too long (say overnight) then the presence of all those primed overactive blood cells in your joints can start to cause damage and this is where ice (and some ibuprofen) would be required. If like myself, there is no evidence of swelling, then each evening I have been rubbing deep heat into the afflicted area to encourage those blood cells to increase their flow around the IT band and do some of their good work for an hour or two. So far it seems to be working. Connective tissue doesn't have a particularly great blood supply and this is why tendons and ligaments can take a while to heal, so every now and then the blood flow needs a little encouragement. One of the main side effects of resting up on the back of marathon training is that my appetite has not reduced with the mileage, so the quicker the recovery the better, before I need to consider buying wider shorts for the Summer months!!