Originally Posted by
Carbonfiberboy
Do not take his word for it. He does not have an advanced degree in exercise physiology, I guarantee it. No doc who did would give that advice. If you want professional advice, get him to give you a referral to a sports doc. You might have a high-end fitter in your area who has such a degree. That would be another person who could probably fix your problem.
I don't have such a degree, either. However after hanging around on these boards for several years, it's my observation that most ITB issues are not. The ITB is a long piece of stringy tissue. It cannot be stretched. I mean that sure one can stretch it, but it doesn't get any longer. Whatever your issue is, it can be fixed, I can also guarantee that. You just need to find out what the issue is.
...snip...
Also, until you find a fitter, lower your saddle 5mm, until your heel is firmly planted on the pedal at bottom dead center, without hip rocking.
I DO appreciate your perspective and comments. However, the doc IS someone I respect who specializes in sports injuries. He's treated a few of the New Orleans Saints (NFL), Pelicans (NBA) and Zephyrs (minor league baseball) as well as numerous local university and high school athletes. Not cheap and not really covered by my sh***y medical insurance but I went ahead and saw him to rule out anything major.
Otoh, as far as a bike fitting > I can't lower the seat - I ride a recumbent. 
Seriously though, I've been dialing in the seat to pedal distance and seat recline angle since I bought the bike a few months ago. It's definitely "almost there" in terms of balancing aerodynamics, comfort and power/efficiency. I started with the seat quite upright (because I was a newbie SWB high racer rider) and a bit too close (seat to pedal-wise) but have been making very small incremental adjustments every couple weeks - well, actually, it's been about 3 1/2 weeks since my last minor adjustment. I'm now reclined to where my riding position is pretty close to the "base" reference pictures on the Bacchetta site.
As I said, I have more discomfort
while not riding than while riding -
after my initial warm up miles. That's the "confusing" thing - for both myself and the doc. Shrug. I've had knee & back issues for years, decades even. I'm used to what that means. This semi-constant discomfort (bordering on pain) is something relatively new but he's of the mindset that cycling won't do any permanent damage if I can "handle the pain".
The one physiotherapy thing I haven't tried yet due to cost is massage therapy. It's not covered by any medical insurance I can afford and it's not cheap. Being on a very limited, fixed income does have its drawbacks. So, at this point I'll try other things for a while before throwing money at a no-guarantees solution.
The one mechanical change I have been considering is going with a shorter crank - maybe going to a 160 from my current 170mm ones. I have no reason to believe it will help especially since (again I've already said this) I have more discomfort when not riding than while riding. But it's never NO discomfort. Otoh, it's a VERY cheap possible solution when compared to massage therapy & doctor visits.
We'll see.
Like Scarlett O'hara said,
I'll think about that (all the possible reasons for the discomfort) tomorrow. For now, I'm concentrating more on just getting to and through the 300&400ks next year.