I have been a runner for nearly 20 years now. In high school, I suffered the occasional IT (ilio-tibial) band injury where it got so tight that even if I tried to run through the pain my speed was severely restricted. And I had a coach which encouraged running through pain :( As time has gone on, such injuries have become more and more frequent and require at least a month of down time to heal. Even with rest, it seems these days my body really is not recovering from it and my IT band is having a hard time loosening up at all. It seems leg-length difference (5/8") has played a big role in this condition. 2 years ago I got a new pair of 1/2" custom orthodics at a sports doctor I was seeing, but those do not keep me completely injury free. Am I doomed for a lifetime of problems or is there something else that can be done to regain that springiness and flexibility in my IT band?