IT Band Pain & Shoes?

Question

I just put in about 45 miles in a pair of new shoes (NB 768's) and have been out for almost 2 weeks because of IT band pain. I tried running again this morning, and had to retire after 1 mile of a planned 3 mile run. I have normal arches and slightly bowed legs.

Could there be a co-relation between the shoes and the injury?

Answer 1

How long have you been running?

If your shoes fit properly, then they aren't the problem.

You mentioned that you have slightly bowed legs. This can affect the way you run, which in turn affects other structures such as the bones, muscles, and tendons within your legs, causing pain or injury. In addition, aside from your running style and bowed legs, the surface you run on can also cause stresses to your knee. Other factors that can cause IT band pain is the intensity of your workout (too high/excessive), inadequate warm-up/cool down and strengthening exercises, and inadequate rest days/periods.  IT band pain is a common problem for runners. It's a sign that your TFL and IT band muscles are too tight, and your adductors (which act as a "counterforce" to the muscles on the lateral side of your legs, the TFL and IT band) are stretched and weak. You need to regain muscle balance between these muscle groups to address the pain. To do this, you can do strengthening exercises such as squats and hip adduction exercises/ball squeeze (you can look these up in the net), and then stretch your TFL/IT band. Also, check out running sites (ex. runnersworld.com) for tips on how to run correctly and strengthen your legs.