I referred to an IT band injury earlier, but I never really explained what I was talking about. For those of you who are not runners, the IT Band, or Iliotibal Band, is this muscle on the outside of the knee that runs from the top half to lower half of the leg. Basically, when you’re legs are not properly aligned, this muscle will incur undue pressure and rub against the femur. This will be very painful and difficult to treat, but is very common.

It happened when I was out running around White Rock Lake. About 4 miles into it, my knee started to ache then sting. I wasn’t able to finish at my desired pace and had to hobble back. I iced it for a few days but on Tuesday, I couldn’t stand the pain anymore. I called an orthopedic doctor in my area and scheduled an appointment. He diagnosed it as I described it after taking some X-rays and tests. He said the cause was because my hips were not strong enough to support my stride. He then prescribed an anti-inflammatory and suggested physical therapy.

I had my first visit with the therapist last week. They applied several devices that caused various effects, such as electric stimulus or intense cold sensations, and then did some balancing and weight training. After 2 hours (initial session is long) my knee felt great.

Since then, I have been doing a lot of cross-training: cycling, rowing, stairs, elliptical, weights, and even walking. I have noticed that my thighs are getting even more muscular than before. I was already having to buy jeans a size larger than normal for the extra room in the legs, but if this keeps up I’ll have to get even larger pants! I’ve enjoyed the cross-training but am eager to get back to running. I’ve got another appointment with the physical therapist on Wednesday and depending on how they say I am, I might try a light 1-2 mile jog.

I hope to get back into my training because I have some races that I would like to be ready for.