I'm a runner and have been running cross country and track ever since the my freshman year in high school. My senior year in track my IT band started to bother me and I had to take the first part of the season off because it hurt to run on it at all. It got to the point where it was bearable, so I was able to run again. I took a lot of the summer off to try to heal it, but then it was hurting still when I started my freshman season of cross country in college. I am now a junior in college and it seems that at the beginning of every season my IT band starts to hurt again after taking time off, but then gets progressively better throughout the season. I went to the trainers and the told me some stretches to do, and they've been helping some, but it always seems to come back no matter what I do. And the right side of my right knee (the part of my IT band that hurts) pops or snaps or something all the time. Is this normal? And will my IT band ever heal completely or do I just have to keep doing my stretches to minimize the pain?

I know completely what that's like. I ran an entire season of cross country with knee pain that when I went to physical therapy they told me it was my IT band. Mine always comes back as well. Depending on your exact body shape an x-ray should tell whether that pain will ever go away. Mine will not because of my particular knee cap shape. There is some work that can be done however to untighten the IT band if that's the problem. Mine is ultimately pretty permanent. I would ask a physical therapist or a doctor about your exact case.