Have you been experiencing pain along the outside of your knee? It could be Iliotibial Band Syndrome (ITBS), which is an injury that presents as a pain along the outer part of the lower thigh crossing the knee joint. IT Band Syndrome is an overuse injury associated with sports that require repetitive movements of the hip and knee. Running and cycling are the most common activities we see in clinic when someone comes in with this type of injury. Our goal as your therapist is to work together with you as a team to decrease your knee pain, modify activities to allow for recovery, and generate a treatment plan targeting the cause of why this injury occurred in the first place to prevent it from happening again in the future.
IT Band syndrome is felt as knee pain along the outer edge of your lower thigh and knee joint
What is the Iliotibial Band (IT Band)?
The Iliotibial Band is a thick connective tissue which travels along the outer thigh connecting the hip to the knee. It is continuous with two muscle groups: the gluteus maximus (“buttocks”) and the tensor fasciae latae (upper part of the outer thigh). The IT Band is important in providing stability to the knee and works to control the hip and pelvis.
How Does IT Band Syndrome Occur?
Weakness and shortness of the gluteus maximus and tensor fascia latae (TFL) often occur together, especially for people who sit for prolonged periods. This directly affects the IT band’s function by causing increased tension and friction between the IT band and the thigh bone. Between the IT Band and the thigh bone, resides a fluid-filled sac called a bursa. Repeated, excessive stress to the IT band can lead to irritation, inflammation, swelling within the bursa, and ultimately, knee pain.
Other Factors That May Contribute to IT Band Syndrome:
Symptoms of IT Band Syndrome
Symptoms can arise following an exercise session, notably following sudden change in the duration or intensity of the activity.
It may present as the following symptoms:
Initially, discomfort is associated with sporting activity only, such as running and cycling, and with a couple days of rest, it usually goes away. If the instigating risk factors are not addressed early on, the soreness can become more persistent and interfere with daily activities such as walking or simple bending and straightening of the knee.
It's important to identify, understand, and address the risk factors leading to IT Band tension and friction to prevent it from happening again in the future
Diagnosis and Treatment
History taking and a physical assessment are usually sufficient to rule in IT Band syndrome and to rule out other conditions with a similar pain presentation. It’s important to identify and to address the risk factors that are leading to IT band tension and friction. Manual therapy and dry needling are effective physiotherapy techniques to reduce myofascial (muscle and connective tissue) tightness. Home exercises including stretches, foam rolling, and strengthening exercises may be prescribed to resolve IT band syndrome and to minimize your risk of re-injury.
If you think you may have IT band syndrome or have any questions about IT band syndrome, Come in for an assessment and treatment with one of our experienced physiotherapists at our Vancouver location. We look forward to meeting you!
With care,
Therapy X Collective