Iliotibial band surgery? - Page 2

OsteoRach · #11 04-23-2008, 01:58 AM

another consideration with tight ITB's is the muscles that attach to them. Gluteus maximus and tensor fasciae latae are the two main muscles that attach to the ITB and hence have a large impact on the resting length of the ITB. are you stretching these muscles???

also, leg tracking plays an important part in trochanteric bursitis, itb problems..., often due to weak posterior gluteus medius and vastus medialis. together these muscles work to keep the leg tracking well (stop knee from dropping inwards during walking/running), they are often weak and if so, can predispose/maintain trochanteric bursitis (due to changes in angles/friction) and also patellofemoral syndrome (lateral tracking of the patella in knee extension due to an imbalance in the medial and lateral quadriceps muscles). have you heard of these muscles / are you strengthening them?

good luck with your surgery in early may,

LBP · #12 04-23-2008, 07:40 AM

I tend to agree more with OsteoRach

CindyLou,

Have you tried pilates or yoga. And I don't mean watching a DVD or going to a big class trying to keep up with a program for people without our issues. I am talking about private sessions with someone willing to customize sessions for you and your specific needs...to go at a pace that works for you!

As soon as I heard I had my surgery approved, I upped my pilates sessions to get my core as strong as possible for surgery. I can't wait to get back to my personal pilates trainer when I am released for such activity. You might be amazed how pilates (done correctly whith modifications when necessary) can help you in stretching and strenthening muscles/joints etc. My IT band has been tight, along with my complete hip flexor area, butt and hamstrings. You just need to do a little research and interview a couple pilates instructors to see who you feel comfortable with, who has certification, and who can talk with confidence like a good physical therapy person to target your problem muscles and joints. If they give you a blank stare if you mention certain muscles...move on!

Back in WI, I go to a very nice gym for private pilates instruction. It's productive even if you can only afford it 1x per week. Ideal to do it 2x per week and 3x per week I found very difficult (physically). I don't belong to this fancy gym but they allow non members to take pilates for a small up charge.

In Socal, my old physcial therapist now has a pilates machine and offers private sessions! Having someone watch you to make sure your body is constantly in the correct position is what makes private sessions so effective. I just can't explain how good it feels to take pilates and make noticable improvement in flexibility and strength in such a gentle approach.

I would think your hip injections should be used to tollerate activity like PT or pilates so that you can do something in between injections that is productive for the long term!

My hips/legs are so tight and painful right now, I cannot wait to get back to pilates and my surgeon is a huge pilates fan and acknowledges that ADR recovering patients can return to pilates in a couple months so long as the instructor is taking things slow and caters to what you are able to do in a safe manner.

CindyLou · #13 04-23-2008, 07:43 PM

LBP, to tell you the truth, I did private Pilates lessons with the head instructor for a year, and I just never really got much out of it. I know it's the big rage, but I just seemed to hurt my neck more, hurt my back more, during all the time I stuck with it. I am considering going to a small clinic for one-on one Yoga...that might be my best bet. And I'm also looking into reducing inflammatory food groups from my diet. It all seems like a mountain to climb at the moment. Maybe, in the morning things won't seem so overwhelming.

LBP · #14 04-23-2008, 10:41 PM

CindyLou,

So sorry you didn't have a good pilates experience. My best PT had a lot of pilates influence so I finally decided to give it a whirl. In 20 sessions, I was able to do the "100" so much better than day 1. I had a lot of hip flexor issues and weak stomach muscles and I couldn't lift both legs up to the chair position while on my back. I had to go one leg at a time very slowly. At the end just be for surgery there were so many examples of improvement and I felt such a rush after each session. I love my pilates instructor, we laugh a lot and she made me look forward to going.

Part of your flat experience might be related to the lack of fun or personal connection with your instructor. Yoga is to hard for me!

Hope you stumble on to something or someone that will help you.

When I get home, I am worried about finding a good PT person. The last one was nice but I didn't feel like it was helping as much as other PT sessions have from other people. So I need to do more research myself. Now I admit that my socal PT people are great with PT but I didn't love the pilates sessions I had with them. It didn't flow as well as back home. sometimes I get lucky picking the right people to help me and sometimes I don't.

Don't give up, keep fighting to find the right mix of people to help you! Makes all the difference in the world.

ZorroSF · #15 04-25-2008, 04:00 PM

for the average person IT bands are a bitch and very painful to release. This typically can be released with a 6" foam roller. I have a nasty case of this and would expect anyone whose undergone spine surgery to get a case of this too. HOwever, after you've fully recovered from surgery this should begin to go away.

If your IT bands have been tight for a very long time (many years) what happens is that the connective tissue between the IT band and the quad scars over fusing the IT band to the quad.

Aside from being aware of this extreme tightness in the side of your thigh, numbness in your thigh can also set in.

At least that's what one PT told me.