Today, I visited a physical therapist in hopes of getting some help with my ITBS. I've been dealing with this on my own for the last 6 weeks, with not much improvement, despite my best effort to try various stretches, etc. After visiting with the PT for a bit (she's a very competitive marathoner, and now has a doctorate in PT), she's given me several stretches to try to get my body back in alignment. She feels that my hips may be slightly out of align, and has given me a toolbox of things that I can do to get back on the mend, including stretches, and also hip positioning techniques.
I guess I was perhaps looking for a smoking gun, and a magic bullet to get me on the road to recovery, but in the end, I think it will just take time. One thing she did do was give me an Empi patch, which essentially micro-treats the pain location with an anti-inflammatory medicine called dexamathasone. This technique is called iontophoresis, which uses a small electric charge to deliver a medicine directly through the skin. But, this should really help to knock down the inflammation in my knee. She also suggested a full course of Aleve, twice a day for 10 days. The pain is a result on inflammation in the insertion point of my ITB, and until that goes away, neither will the pain. Icing my knee after every run will also help. She also suggested that I think about custom orthotics, since my feet pronate a bit. At the very least, she suggested I try some OTC orthotic inserts like Superfeet, to start getting my feet in the right position.
Hopefully, all of these things will lead to a solid recovery! At this point, I need all the help I can get.
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