Some questions about knees

[H2OChick]

Can somebody explain why I only have ITB problems on my left leg?

I've thought about this, and here are some ideas.

I carry my kids on my left hip. Always have.
My left leg is longer/shorter than my right?
I generally run on the road, facing oncoming traffic and the road might be slightly uneven at the edges?

Also, I'm having trouble with popliteal tendonitis (at least that what I think it is) and it's much worse on my left leg. (It's behind the knee, slightly to the inside, and deep in there.)

I know about the stretches and icing and NSAIDs, but I wonder if there is a root cause I could be working on as well. Y'know - something that orthodics, or running elsewhere would take care of. And I'm almost at the stage where I don't carry the wee ones anymore, too.

Thanks.

[Vuroth]

I find running on cambered roads to be very uncomfortable. Even a small slope can add up over time. If one leg is always landing higher than the other, bad things will happen.

There's bound to be a sports medecine specialist or pedorithist around who might be able to shed some more light on the problem.

V

[wannaride]

On Saturday's long run I experienced tendonitis on mile 9 of 10 that was bad enough to get me to walk. I did the last of the Key Biscayne Trilogy sprint tri's yesterday but the knee was still an issue on the 5K portion so I did walk some.

I've been surprised how little substantive information I can find on tendonitis and how it can be treated effectively. I've found much more info on ITB syndrome. ITB can definitely result from running on a crowned road.

If you hear of anything regarding treatment of tendonitis other than RICE and staying off it for awhile I'd love to hear about it.

[racergirl]

Its everyone's lucky day since in my transition from swimming to tris I had every running injury in the book (I'm not really exaggerating). The popliteal tendinitis is probably deep hamstring problems. The root cause is probably a combo of the cambered roads (try running the lagoon trails by the Lomas Santa Fe train station -they connect to the trails in Rancho) and hip/knee muscle imbalance.

I would recommend as much trail running as possible because the uneven landing forces you to build stablizer muscles. Also, do a little single leg strenth training (lunges off a half ball, single leg squats, etc). They will build stablizers and help teach the muscles to fire properly. For the IT band strengthen vastus medialis (bump of muscle on the inside of your knee). Use the seated leg extension machine (actually ONLY for this purpose if you value your knees). Use low weights (start around 10) and do one leg at a time. You should mostly activate the quad muscle on the inside of your knee. Do sets of 12-20 reps with the leg turned 30deg outward. This will help balance the muscles around the kneecap. You can also do reps without weights while sitting in a chair at home or work. I *try* to lift about 2xweek but 15min a day of this stuff will do wonders. You can get a physio ball at home.

Fortunately for you H20Chica, I'm was an SD local until recently. I know a FANTASTIC sports massage therapist in Encinitas. He did wonders for my IT band tendinitis in 2001. Call 760 634-3701 and ask for an appointment with Richard. (The facility is Elite Care Chiropractic). I also know a PT in La Jolla and Mission Valley that has done a lot of work with me on hip stability (gino@functionsmart.com, functionsmart.com). He also does active release which is probably the only magic bullet I've ever come across. It hurts like hell but its a good, releasing kinda hurt. It breaks up the scar tissue and you walk away feeling better. I've found active release to be especially good for those persistent hamstring problems. A buddy of mine went to PT and massage therapists for 6months before seeing someone for ART and the sore hammys were back in a few days.

For immediate relief and prevention, I'm a huge fan of epsom salt baths. Also, I use Ben Gay patches on trouble spots. (Especially effective for calves). There is some new mixture of menthol and arnica gel out called "black and blue" that is growing on me. Its avaliable at Nytro.

Good luck, poor injured souls. PM me with any questions.

[jennings780]

H2O - are your legs the same length? I went to a sports medicine Orthopedic Surgeon for hip pain and he determined that my right leg is about 1/4" longer than my left. He said that my leg length differential could be contributing to my hip pain - which is an upper IT band problem.

[JohnnyCool]

If you hear of anything regarding treatment of tendonitis other than RICE and staying off it for awhile I'd love to hear about it.

I was a competitive volleyball player and developed patelar tendonitis. The only treatment that worked for me was accupuncture. And it worked great!

[H2OChick]

H2O - are your legs the same length? I went to a sports medicine Orthopedic Surgeon for hip pain and he determined that my right leg is about 1/4" longer than my left. He said that my leg length differential could be contributing to my hip pain - which is an upper IT band problem.

I don't know. I've always been a swimmer, so nobody has ever bothered with my legs! (It was always the shoulders...) I've never been to a chiropractor or a sports med person at all. Perhaps it's time...

[racergirl]

personally, for sports injuries (muscle, tendon, etc) I've had much better luck with massage therapy and PT. I feel pretty silly going to a massage therapist whenever I can, but it really does help. An ortho is wonderful for broken bones, torn tendons, etc, but they pretty much tell you to A) stay off it or B) stay off it and prescribe some cocktail of pain killers, muscle relaxers, NSAIDS. Unfortunately, the root cause of the problem is usually still there and comes back as soon as you move again. Better off getting the problem fixed (tightness, imbalance, scar tissue).

Even if you have a leg length problem, my coach loves to remind us that decades ago one of the US runners won a gold medal for the marathon with some obscene leg length discrepancy (as in centimeters, not millimeters).

(Nothing against MD's as I am on my way to being one, but it these cases they don't really help much).