Illiotibial Band Syndrome and Hip Flexor Strain

After visiting the doctor today, I was inspired to find a little more information on the Illiotibial band. I came across this wikipedia page and found the causes interesting. I've pasted them below and will star my 'causes'. :-)

*Gymnastics: I did kartwheels for the kids this week.
*Running: chasing after fly balls for softball.

I've highlighted things in green that apply. However, I have no intention of avoiding things, just adding exercises, good warm up and cool down, and stretching (but not to the point of pain).

Sports activities to avoid while symptomatic

• Running
• Stair climbing or mountaineering
• Deadlifts or squats
• Court sports, such as tennis, basketball, or similar
• Martial arts, such as karate (especially where being bare foot emphasizes any symptoms being caused by leg/foot abnormalities)
• Bowling
• Skating
• Wrestling
• Cycling
• Dancing
• Parkour
• Rowing
• Softball
• Gymnastics
  

[edit] Causes

ITBS can result from one or more of the following training habits, anatomical abnormalities, or muscular imbalances:

Training habits:

• Always Running on a banked surface (such as the shoulder of a road or an indoor track) bends the downhill leg slightly inward and causes extreme stretching of the band against the femur
• Inadequate warm-up or cool-down
• Excessive up-hill and down-hill running
• In cycling, having the feet "toed-in" to an excessive angle
• Running up and down stairs
• Hiking long distances
• Rowing

Abnormalities in leg/feet anatomy:

• High or low arches
• Supination of the foot
• Excessive lower leg rotation due to over-pronation
• The force at the knee when the foot strikes
• Uneven leg length
• Bowlegs or tightness about the iliotibial band.
  • Excessive wear on the outside heel edge of a running shoe (compared to the inside) is one common indicator of bowleggedness for runners.

Muscle imbalance:

• Weak hip abductor muscles
• Weak/non-firing multifidus muscle

As for hip flexor strain, this website was very informative. I especially noticed the image of where the pain takes place. She was EXACTLY right on that one. Hopefully in two to three weeks, I will have this under control. If not, I'll be paying out of the nose again!