Knee pain, knee injuries and IT band syndrome
Knee pain and knee injuries, as a result of IT band syndrome, can be an extremely painful and frustrating injury that puts a lot of pressure on the knee and hip joints.
Knee pain and knee injuries are very common among runners and cyclists. However, they usually don’t happen in an instant, like a hamstring strain or groin pull, but instead commonly start as a twinge or ache, and progress quickly to become a debilitating sports injury that can put aside the best of us for weeks.
For those of you unfamiliar with IT band syndrome, let’s start by taking a look at the muscle responsible for the problem. The IT band is actually a thick, tendon-like portion of another muscle called the tensor fasciae latae. This band runs down the outside of the thigh and inserts just below the knee.
If you look at the anterior (front) view of the right thigh muscles and follow the tendon of this muscle down, you will see that it extends to the knee. This thick band of tendon is the IT band. Or iliotibial tract, as labeled on the diagram.
Knee pain occurs when the tensor fasciae latae muscle and iliotibial band become tight. This causes the tendon to dislodge the knee joint and rub against the outside of the knee, causing swelling and pain.
Causes
There are two main causes of knee pain associated with IT band syndrome. The first is “overload” and the second is “biomechanical errors”.
Overloading is common in sports that require extensive running or weight-bearing activity. This is why ITB is commonly a runner’s injury. When the tensor fasciae latae muscle and IT band become fatigued and overloaded, they lose their ability to adequately stabilize the entire leg. This, in turn, puts pressure on the knee joint, leading to pain and damage to the structures that make up the knee joint.
The overload in the ITB can be due to several things. They include:
- Exercising on hard surfaces, like concrete;
- Exercising on uneven ground;
- Starting an exercise program after a long period of rest;
- increase the intensity or duration of exercise too quickly;
- Exercising in worn or ill-fitting shoes; Y
- Excessive running uphill or downhill.
Biomechanical errors include:
- Differences in the length of the legs;
- Tight and stiff muscles in the leg;
- muscle imbalances;
- Foot structure problems such as flat feet; Y
- Gait or running style problems such as pronation.
Treatment for Iliotibial Band Syndrome
First, make sure you remove the cause of the problem. Whether it’s an overload issue or a biomechanical issue, make sure steps are taken to eliminate the cause.
The basic treatment for knee pain resulting from ITB Syndrome is no different than most other soft tissue injuries. Immediately after the onset of any knee pain, the RICER regimen should be applied. This involves Rit is, IEast, againstcompression, melifting, and Rreferral to an appropriate professional for an accurate diagnosis. It is critical that the RICER regimen be implemented for at least the first 48 to 72 hours. Doing this will give you the best possible chance of a full and complete recovery.
