met a delightful massage therapist, Ana Camacho, who said she would tailor a massage specifically designed for me, depending on what was hurting me the most, what my favorite sport was, and what my primary objective was for the day. After I told her I was a runner with a tight back, she said she would incorporate the following three components into our massage session:

“Deep tissue, stretching your whole body, and also range of motion, working on your IT-Band for runners.” So it’s going to be good for you.”

I could hardly wait to get started! For those of you who are runners, you are probably already painfully aware of the IT-Band, literally, as it is easily injured if you don’t stretch out properly, have poor training techniques, or wear the wrong or worn-down running shoes. Sometimes it gives you problems even if you do everything right just because of the unforgiving biomechanics of running—that’s when you break out the ice and ibuprofen. But for those of you who have no idea what an IT-Band is…

What IS the IT-Band?

The IT-Band is short for iliotibial band, and in complete layman’s terms is strong band of connective fibers that starts at the outer gluteus region, the side of your butt, runs past your hips, thighs and down just below your knee. It has the hugely important job of helping to stabilize your knee, so when it is tight or compromised in any way, you can experience a dull pain on the outside of your knee and lower thigh area when you try to run, climb stairs, or even get out of a car—this means there could be inflammation around your knee and you may have ITBS, iliotibial band syndrome. If you don’t seek treatment, the pain will go from dull to sharp—see a sports medicine specialist for an evaluation, especially if the basic “RICE” principles are ineffective (rest, ice, compression, elevation—plus ibuprofen…what are we going to do with that extra “I”?)

The Pre-Massage Warm-Up

One of the best features about this massage was that Ana warmed up my muscles first, even before we even started, by gently shaking and moving my legs around to get the blood flowing, just like you’d warm-up your muscles before going for a run.

“How does it feel?” Ana asked. The smile on my face said it all. I could tell I was in good hands, as she proceeded with caution—a good strategy when working on a runner who has a tight back, hamstrings and a super tight IT-Band.

Partner Assisted Stretches

We began with a series of partner-assisted stretches to improve my range of motion and flexibility, including stretches to specifically target to loosen up my tight IT-Band. One side was much tighter than the other, as with most people. Ana continued to talk me through the stretches—the sign of a good therapist.

“This stretching not only stretches out muscles in your lower back but muscles along the IT-Band, muscles that compromises your lower back.”

We worked through much of my tightness in ways I could not possibly have done on my own, which is why you should always get a training partner to help you with stretching— a win-win situation. Finally it was time for the deep tissue portion of the massage—we decided to work on my thighs and my back, and get out all of the knots and kinks. At the very end I was treated to more Swedish-style strokes, nice and relaxing, where I was able to reflect for a moment and think of nothing—except maybe what I was going to have for lunch by the pool…after a quick dip in the Jacuzzi with my green tea that was waiting for me in the next room.

This story was taped on location at The Ritz Carlton South Beach Hotel in Miami, Florida. www.ritzcarlton.com

For more info on the IT-Band and ITBS, go to: www.runnersworld.com

For another good article on the IT-Band, I recommend this site: www.rice.edu/~jenky/sports/itband.v2.html

Finally, you might enjoy this site for articles on the Top 5 Runner’s Injuries, which does include the IT-Band: www.time-to-run.com

This story was taped on location at
the Ritz Carlton Resort, South Beach