I thought I'd update those of you who are also having trouble with IT bands. My PT has been recording my running today and talking to me about things that should improve my chances of staying away from this injury in the future. One thing is something that we hear over and over again....176-180 steps per minute. As he watched me at first I was more in the 164 range which causes me to have a strong heel strike. When our heel hits like that it is a jarring and deacceleration movement. With a shorter stride our foot hits more in the central and is used to propel you forward instead of jarring each and every step. So one thing I need to work on is a quicker turn over. The second item is something that surprised me. He said that when I run my shoulders stay very squared, (which I've always thought was a smooth form). He said our upper body needs to counteract what our lower body is doing. I need to have more swing in my shoulders. I am suppose to start running on a treadmill in 3 minute intervals. First minute is a walk second minute hands to my chest and swing more and third minute make sure I get 88-89 per right foot strike per minute. I should repeat that interval 5-8 times It will be interesting to see if anyone says that is not what I should do. The other thing he said was that the 2-3 lbs I have gained is good for recovery! I'll take that, even if he was just saying it to make me feel good.
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