Overuse problems of the knee :
Frustrated with ITBS (iliotibial band syndrome) - - Posted by cat (cat), 7 March 2003
Seems like I've been on crutches forever for illiotibial band problems! I am about to jump out of my skin! Can't do anything and there is sooo much to be done. My house is trashed and I'm not gifted in the area of just sitting around. I was lap swimming but am going to have to give that up as well as that also seems to irritate the knee. Oh well, I was kind of an anomoly going to a fitness place in crutches!! Got alot of stares.
Has anyone else had this? Not the stares, the ITBS!
cat
Posted by KneePain326 (Emily), 7 March 2003
Cat~
I am really sorry you are so frustrated!!! Crutches are SOO annoying... and kinda painful in their own way wouldnt you say? Sitting around can also be boring... and I do my fair share of it... Is there anything you like to do that you can do sitting... cross stitch, sewing... anything like that so you could feel more productively immobile? Too bad about swimming... I had to give it up for my knee too! Why would people stare at you in a fitness place... i mean geez have they never been hurt?? How annoying!! I wish there was more i could tell you about your knee problem, but I dont know much other than what I have wrong with my knee! SORRY!!!
Lots of Love!!
Emily
Posted by oneillii (oneillii), 7 March 2003
Hi Cat
I also went to my gym on crutches at one point...well, they can't doubt that I am dedicated LOL
The old forum archives have a lot of stuff on ITBS, but you have to dig for it...I don't have a link but I think you can probably find it without too much trouble...
Good luck! Susan (PS my house is a mess too)
Posted by cat (cat), 8 March 2003
Thanx for the replies. It's nice to know you're not alone!
Emily, you had a doctor's apt recently didn't you? How did that go?
Susan, You say your house is trashed. Well with 6 kids and a "broken" mommy my house is beyond trashed! No telling what kind of animal or vegetable life is growing in the debris! But thanx for the archive info. Nice distraction from what is on the kitchen floor. Oh!! Did I just see something skittering across the floor
cat 
Posted by enuff81020 (enuff81020), 8 March 2003
Hi Cat,
6 kids? I have 8 and my house is a frustrating landfill. nobody around here can see when something needs to be done--and it only happens when I hobble through and try to do it or my hubby does it or I totally lose my temper. Grr-rr
I got off of my crutches last week--after 9 months of them--am still using my cane and trying to hang in there for my other tkr in July...so maybe my house will get cleaned up for real before the holidays--lol. I guess the attitude we need is "who cares?" but the truth is that we know we do.
Have a cup of tea and take a deep breath--I think I'm going to tell these guys they are going to have to pay for maid service and see what happens. Sylvia
Posted by JenJen03 (JenJen03), 8 March 2003
hi,
i have a question. what u are calling an "illiotibial band " is that the long from for IT band?? I was told that my IT band is very week, aloung with many of my other muscles, and that is why i am not not getting better. I do not exactely know what they do for this seeing that the streatches they gave me do not seem to work! Oh well. Do u know what they do for it?? TAHNKS!
~Jen
Posted by cat (cat), 8 March 2003
Hey there,
I have a tight iliotibial band (yes long form for IT band) and my PT keeps asking me what I'm doing to it that is making it seem to get tighter! 
It causes me to have lateral knee pain and I suppose the medial knee pain is from mal-tracking issues. We've been doing ALOT of stretching especially the dreaded Ober stretch which makes me sooo sore!( And if you've ever seen a photo of the position your in whilst doing this stretch imagine having gas problems!) Anyway, there is no way I could get that kind of stretch by myself. At home I do a wierd standing IT band stretch that is not as good but does help maintain what the PT worked so hard to stretch. I really give that guy a workout. I also do some "butt" stretches too. Will have to do some strengthening exercises eventually when the iliotibial band irritation settles down. I have not heard of a weak band. How long have you had your problems?
cat
Posted by cat (cat), 8 March 2003
Slvia,
You have had all the knee problems you've had and 8 Kids? I'm afraid some of mine would be missing by now!
I like your landfill description.
cat
Posted by KneePain326 (Emily), 9 March 2003
Cat- Yeah I had an appointment yesterday, so today I am very sore. I am getting an MRI to check and make sure they arent overlooking something from the outside and going back to PT and 8 more weeks, 3 times a week. He also put me on Bextra... I think it is a pain killer and Anti Inflammitory 
. You have 6 kids!? How many boys/girls?
Posted by enuff81020 (enuff81020), 9 March 2003
Hey Cat,
I'm trying to choose my battles...but the other night--after two nights of not sleeping and then being awakened by my 7 year ild daughter--because she wanted ice cream--I flipped my lid. It did seriously get their attention, but left me feeling pretty wretched...
My oldest is 20 though and I think it is fair to expect something out of him--and my 18 year old and my 14, 13, 12, and 10 year olds. I can cut my two youngest some slack--they are 7 and 5--but come on folks. If I was getting around at all, they wouldn't dare!!!
I think the real reason they are still alive is that I woiuldn't really be able to dispose of the bodies!!!Tee Hee...
Good luck with yours and if you find a realsolution that works, please share!!!Sylvia
Posted by cat (cat), 10 March 2003
Hey there,
I'm having a good knee day as I've just gotten up from an awesome nap and haven't seen the kitchen. When I do I'll probably go ballistic.
I have 4 girls and 2 boys. My oldest is a girl 17. She is very creative, has an eye for detail when drawing but not when cleaning. She is excited about going off to college next fall.Then I have 15 and 12 yr. girls, 9 yr boy, almost 7 girl and my youngest is a sofa jumping 4 yr old boy.
Emily, let me know how the Bextra works for you. Viox and Celebrex haven't done much for me.
Gotta "run". The munchkins are wanting to do a vinegar and soda volcano and I would prefer to be involved in this potentially messy process.
cat
Posted by Nicole_T. (Nicole_T.), 29 April 2003
These posts are great! I'm new here. Checking out info on lateral release when I saw this topic. I have two kids, well, three, if you include my husband! The older being 17 and the other 15. After my first surgery two months ago, my daughter said she wanted to be home to make sure everything was alright with me. Yah, right! She wanted to day off from school! She wasn't home for 10 minutes, and she was outta here! I guess senior-itis?? Anyways, good luck with everything you all are going through! I'm just so happy that there are sites like these to help all of us through the goods, the bads and the uglys of our darn knees! BTW, my house too is a mess. I tell people it's because my knee hurts, but I really think I keep it that way as to not get visitors when I am in pain!! LOL
Posted by enuff81020 (enuff81020), 29 April 2003
Hi Nicole!
Welcome aboard 
Kids are something interesting...sometimes frustrating, sometimes endearing, sometimes entertaining, and usually a source of something else for me to do--lol
I have two recent seniors--a college freshman and a college sophomore, so I've been there...They really do know everything and if you aren't sure, just ask any of them. My next one coming up is a freshman--but my first girl to reach this, so it has been a different ballgame. We get to mix in some hormonal ups and downs into the deal and have a new learning experience.
They are truly lucky that we either love them or had so much pain giving birth to them that we keep them around and safe. HaHa.
Take care, Sylvia
Posted by cat (cat), 30 April 2003
Hey Nicole,
Welcome and I know what you mean about senior-itis! When mine is hanging around it usually means she wants something!
cat
Posted by Nicole_T. (Nicole_T.), 1 May 2003
Hi Sylvia!
I actually have a magnet on my fridge that quotes: "ATTENTION TEENAGERS AND YOUNG ADULTS". If you're tired of being hasseled by unreasonable parents...NOW IS THE TIME FOR ACTION! Move out and pay your own way while you still know everything!"
I also have a shirt that says " Mothers of teenagers know why animals eat their young"!
I've received lots of advice from this board and others about my up and coming LR. I want to say thanks to all!
Reading some of your posts, I'm truley sorry that more is not being done for your pain! Is there nothing that can be done for ITBS? Just pop some pills and spend the rest of your life in PT? I know my last 7 months of PT didn't have any effect. If nothing else, it made things worse! Do any of you feel like you have been clumped into a generic group for unexplained knee pain? 
Welcome aboard
Kids are something interesting...sometimes frustrating, sometimes endearing, sometimes entertaining, and usually a source of something else for me to do--lol
I have two recent seniors--a college freshman and a college sophomore, so I've been there...They really do know everything and if you aren't sure, just ask any of them. My next one coming up is a freshman--but my first girl to reach this, so it has been a different ballgame. We get to mix in some hormonal ups and downs into the deal and have a new learning experience.
They are truly lucky that we either love them or had so much pain giving birth to them that we keep them around and safe. HaHa.
Take care, Sylvia [/quote]
Posted by cat (cat), 1 May 2003
Hey there Nicole,
I'm Cat the one with the ITBS and I feel my OS and especially my PT have been trying to help me. I'm just wondering if I'm really that difficult of a case or if there's something else going on. BTW, love the magnet and t-shirt!Good luck with your LR,
cat
Posted by hmaxwell (Heather M.), 1 May 2003
Cat,
I've been suffering from severe ITBS brought on by multiple knee surgeries starting 18 months ago. I was having a really bad flare recently--to the point that I'd developed lower back and hip pain, along with hip bursitis due to the irritation.
My pain management doctor prescribed the following: 2 weeks of acupuncture 2X per week followed immediately by myo-fascial release of the IT band, then 3 more weeks of this treatment one time per week. So I'd go in the morning and have acupuncture then go straight to PT where I'd have the myo-fascial release done. And every day at home I use a foam roller to release the IT band myself. For really bad days, I was given a lidocaine patch to place directly over the pain, and that helped a lot, too.
After 5 treatments, my flare is GONE. I still have knee pain, but my lower back and hip have really calmed down. Since I have arthritis in that knee, we're pretty sure the pain isn't ITB-related....
Anyway, the IT band is just soft tissue (actually, it's quite gristly, but you know what I mean), and that stuff responds really well to things like massage, acupuncture, etc.
It's just a thought--if you haven't responded to the standard PT, it might be worth looking into acupuncture and deep tissue work. I'll be honest, having your IT band released is TORTURE--but it feels so amazing afterward that I put up with 5-10 minutes of thumbs, fists, elbows, and forearms digging into the side of my leg....
Hope this information helps. IT bands suck. Who would have thought such a stringy little piece of flesh could hurt soooo much.
Heather
If you want, I have a brochure for the American Association of Medical Acupuncturists--they have a web page with a regional locator to find someone near you.
Posted by cat (cat), 1 May 2003
Thank you Heather! I would love that info! I tried myofascial once but didn't think it helped. However, I'm not sure it was really a myofascial massage. How do you go about finding a massage therapist that knows what they're doing? My PT doesn't do much soft tissue work. I did find a chiropractor that does ATR. Been tempted to give that a whirl.....
cat
Posted by hmaxwell (Heather M.), 1 May 2003
Cat,
The site for locating a medical doctor who does acupuncture is www.medicalacupuncture.org
I would *strongly* recommend you select a doctor who is a pain management, anesthesiology, or physical medicine & rehabilitation (PMR) specialist (this last would be my personal choice). That way, he or she can probably recommend a physical therapy location that DOES do a lot of tissue work on patients--and they can write you a prescription for it, too, so you get exactly what they think you need.
However, I found that the PT was not enough--he just couldn't spend the amount of time I needed. So I augmented the PT sessions with a once a week, 90 minute massage which focused on the lower back, hips, and ITB. Again, a good pain management or PM&R doctor should have some masseuse recommendations, maybe even someone onsite. I've had the very best results working with certified ROLFers--ROLFing is a tissue lengthening and release school of thought in massage therapy. They are certified massage therapists who have gone on to do additional specific training for therapeutic work with athletes and people who suffer from chronic pain. Here's a web page with info http://healthplusweb.com/alt_directory/rolfing.html
Look on Google for some ROLFing directories, here are two pages I found right away http://www.rolf.org/locate/locate.php3
http://www.rolfguild.org/usa.html
Additionally, Heller massage work is closely related to ROLFing.
NOTE: Some of the ROLFERs and Heller massage therapists can be a little woo-woo (as in, can you feel the lifeforce, etc.) but the hands-on techniques they use have proven medical value, so I just kind of ignore the crystal talk. I finally found a massage therapist who is a certified ROLFer and works out of my spine and orthopedic rehab clinic, so she is very much focused on the physical, not the metaphysical. If you like crystals and spiritual vortex talk, then knock yourself out--whatever helps you feel better!
Finally, you might try lookng up local massage therapists and asking if they are trained in myo-fascial release. Try to avoid beauty and spa locations, you are looking for real medical treatment.
I'm not sure about the chiropractic treatment, but don't know enough to comment. Personally, I would hesitate to let a chiropracter address my knee issues, but again, that's just me.....
Best of luck, let me know if I can help further.
Heather
PS give it time--the treatment cycle is 3-6 weeks for the combined acupuncture/myo-fascial release approach to ITBS. I was lucky and had real relief in about 2 weeks, after a couple of treatments.
PPS Don't forget the foam roller--it is a huge part of the home therapy--do you have one?
Posted by cat (cat), 1 May 2003
Heather, don't have a foam roller but do have a swim noodle. Do you just lie on it and roll back and forth?
Also, love your "woowoo" description of the MT. The MT I tried (despite the fact that she was an RN) was a little too into the "crystal talk" for me. Thanx for the info!
cat
Posted by cat (cat), 1 May 2003
Heather, forgot to add, my insurance ran out a while back and my Pt is practically seeing me for free.(Really nice folks there!) So I will probably stick with the PT I've been seeing. He has also gone the X-tra mile in terms of talking with my OS!
cat
Posted by Rose (Rose), 21 August 2003
Hi, I am new on the board, but am not new with the kids and household. I hear that it is difficult for you and the kids while you are on crutches. While you are sitting, take a pencil and pad and make a chore list for each child, all the way down to the smallest one. Just make his/her chore as small as he is. Rotate the chores daily, weekly, or every couple of days. Your job will be to supervise them. You can do this on the crutches. Give rewards based on how well they are completed. I give allowances and deduct based on how poorly they are done and pay them at the end of the week. They are allowed to exchange with each other as long as they do it reasonablly and without arguing afterward. I raised 3 older children using this method without being on crutches and it worked. They are now 26, 28, 30 and all have finished college and have jobs. I now have a new 11 year old and am doing the same thing with him. He is responsible for his room and can pick up extra money by taking on other jobs, like vacuuming, dishes or folding towels and his clothing. Good luck, it will take a while to get it perfected, but be patient, it can work.
Rose
Updated Mon Dec 1 2008