Knee Pain- IT Band?

[jes5459]

I am currently doing training in the army. It has had extensive physical tests and on the third day in i hurt my knee. The pain was sharp and intense the day i hurt it on the outside of my knee. My knee never buckled or twisted or popped to indicate something bad happened. I was just walking up stairs after a short jog about 100m and my knee began to lock up and have intense pain that day. I fought through the pain that day and made it to the next day of training. The pain subsided to the point that i was able to make it through the 4 mile run the next day and so on and so forth. I am about 5 weeks into the training now and have good days and bad days. The pain never really goes away and from what i have learned is that it is probably my IT band. It always feels tight around the top outside of my knee always and after a competitive run it hurts along the outside of the knee and sometimes at the bottom of the knee. I have taken anti inflammatory meds which have help out a lot.
  
Its not an option for me to take real rest from this training because if i do i lose this opportunity for a LONG time. I gotta fight through this! I want to know if there is anything short term things i can do to possible relieve this pain or if possible cure it and what things i should avoid if possible to keep from having another day like the first day this happened. Thank you!

[caregiver222]

Woops. Accidentally hit the "report button". A senior moment.

I am very proud that you are serving the nation, however, as a veteran who retied after forty years in the reserves, with combat service, I can tell you I have many serious injuries that I foolishly did not report in order to tough it out when I was on active service. Been there. Done that. I was a soldier once, and young. And years later, those serious injuries, all legitimate line of duty, ended  up improperly undocumented with the VA, and my failure to take a rest to permit healing for reasons similar to your own resulted in a lifetime of pain. It is very difficult to keep things in perspective when, for example, you are going through ranger training. The trainers place a lot of pressure on trainees to "go the extra mile", and that pressure is almost impossible to resist. It doesn't mean you are less of a soldier or a man to accept the fact that serious injuries can take place accidentally, through no fault of your own, and another few months, more or less, will seem insignificant a decade from now. Good luck, and thank you for serving.

[jes5459]

I did report to sick call and the doc said that my knee was stably fine... And im sure you know there's a difference between injury and hurting. I have made it this far and i think i can tough it out... i really feel im just hurting at this point and i have already made up my mind that if i feel i can permanently hurt myself i would call it quits... it has been getting slowly better but i just want to know tips that can speed up the process and possible get it back to 100% before long so i can compete at my highest level. I just hate knowing that this has been holding me back.