IT band problems; dodging pandemics
Q: I’m an enthusiastic bike rider, but I can’t ride now because I have IT band syndrome. My doctor has given me a physical therapy prescription. Will that work to ease the pain and get me back on my bike?—Jerome K., Kansas City, Missouri
A: Problems related to the IT (iliotibial) band are pretty common and can affect anyone who exercises regularly. This noncontractile, fibrous/fascia band stretches down the outside of your leg from your buttocks (“ilio,” or “flank”), over your knee and attaches to your tibia; its job is to stabilize your leg and knee. But it’s not a muscle, so it’s hard to get it to relax once it becomes irritated or inflamed.
Rest, ice, compression and elevation (RICE) are your first line of defense. It’ll take anywhere from three to six weeks to clear it up as long as you get physical therapy and do your exercises/ stretches.
Talk with your physical therapist about the most helpful stretches and using a foam roller:
Sitting on the floor, put the foam roller under your glutes (buttocks) and hamstrings (back of your legs) and roll back and forth.
Then flip over so that you’re lying stomach-down, and roll your quadriceps muscles (front of the thighs). The goal is to roll all the areas around your IT band, not the IT band itself.
A hand-held roller that looks like a skinny, segmented rolling pin is also helpful; use it to roll around the injured site to relieve pain.
Then before you get back on the bike, go to a reputable bicycle store and have someone check your positioning. If your toe is turned in on the pedal (clipless or caged) or your seat is out of position, that can affect how your IT band crosses over your knee and can cause painful inflammation every time you ride.
Q: With all the talk about government shutdowns and defunding of health initiatives and agencies, does the government still
have the ability to protect us from a flu epidemic and potential pandemics like Zika and Ebola?—Mika Z., Orlando, Florida
A: That’s an important question. Unfortunately, time is running out for a major partner of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (in conjunction with countries from around the world)—namely, the Global Health Security Agenda. Funding for the initiative will run dry in 2019, and the CDC is concerned about its renewal.
This $5.4 billion program was set up in 2014 to stop the Ebola virus in its tracks, which it did in Africa, before it spread globally. The whole idea behind America’s support of such a major global initiative is to fight dangerous infectious diseases at their source so that we remain safe in the USA. These days, distance is not a deterrent to disease spread; any infection may be only one plane ride away.
This initiative trains doctors and medical assistants and helps underfunded medical institutions upgrade their labs with new equipment. Without funding, the Wall Street Journal reports, the CDC will have to downsize its work in 39 countries; 35 countries will have to cut staff by around 80 percent.
This severe downsizing could have profound repercussions on the CDC’s ability to protect you, because, as a study in PLOS Pathogens points out, there are “layers of complexity to containing these infectious diseases that affect not only the health but the economic stability of societies.”
And then there’s the 20172018 flu season! At last count, more than 55 U.S. children have died, and there’s a record number of hospitalizations. Clearly, this would be a good time to guarantee long-term funding. If not, the people who find ways to prevent and contain potential epidemics and pandemics will be out seeking other jobs—and YOU and yours will be far more at risk than necessary.