ITBS is one of the most common overuse injuries among runners, and one of the top 10 injuries seen in distance runners. With more than 200,000 U.S. cases per year, symptoms include pain between the hip and knees that worsens with activity.

A phased treatment plan including Foot Levelers custom-made functional orthotics plus ice, stretching, massage and rehabilitative exercises can ‘beat the band.’

Goals: Decreased pain, improved movement and agility.

Activity: Running, jumping, squatting.

• Adjustments to the affected bones and joints are determined/performed by the chiropractic professional.
• The patient should be instructed to rest the affected area, ice, and stretch up to 3x a day.
• Deep tissue massage along the full length of the ITB may be considered, two or three times per week for recreational runners and up to every day for elites. Using a home roller instrument like Foot Levelers’ Intracell® Stick is a good substitute for those who aren’t able to work with a professional masseuse.
• Once pain has been reduced, I recommend at-home rehabilitative exercises to strengthen the area and lower extremities as a whole using Foot Levelers’ THERA-CISER®.
• Support comes from custom-made, flexible functional orthotics. Foot Levelers’ XP3™ or XP3+™ are ideal for runners; the former is ultra-lightweight and features MPAX™ in the heel, an innovative material that absorbs up to 90 percent of shock upon impact. For distance runners, I recommend XP3+, with double the amount of MPAX and MPAX Pro™ in the forefoot to improve propulsion at toe-off. Foot Levelers recently introduced the CPOYA™ orthotic, designed specifically for middle and high school aged athletes, which I strongly recommend for this vulnerable age group.