ITB Syndrome
What is it?
Iliotibial band syndrome (ITBS) is a common knee injury that usually presents with pain and/or tenderness on palpation of the lateral aspect of the knee. It is considered a non-traumatic overuse injury and often seen in runners.
What is the cause?
ITB is often associated with underlying weakness of hip abductor muscles. The current theory is that this condition is likely to be caused by compression of the innervated local adipose tissue. Studies have described an ‘impingement zone’ occurring at, or slightly below, 30° of knee flexion during foot strike and the early stance phase of running. During this impingement period in the running cycle, eccentric contraction of the tensor fascia latae muscle and of the gluteus maximus causes the leg to decelerate, generating tension (compression) in the iliotibial band.
Signs & Symptoms
-
Pain or aching on the outer side of the knee.
-
A clicking or rubbing feeling on the side of your knee.
-
Pain that increases with activity (and often only hurts with activity).
-
Pain that spreads up the thigh into the hip.
What can we do about it?
Load management and educating our patients around other activities they are can. Our team of physiotherapist at Sports and Spine physio are experts in running programmes and can provide you with a tailored return to running plan. Taping can often be helpful to offload the lateral knee as well as hip abduction strengthening exercises.