Iliotibial Band Syndrome
IT Band syndrome, or pain on the outside of the knee, is a common overuse injury in both runners and cyclists. If you have pain on the outside of your knee, a physical therapist will be able to rule out other potential causes and diagnose it as IT Band syndrome.
At Home Team physical therapy, when we see a client with IT Band syndrome, our first goal is to manage the pain symptoms so that our client may continue their preferred activities (running, biking, etc.).
The second goal is to identify the root cause of the pain. Root causes of IT Band pain commonly include:
Increased training load in running or cycling
Running mechanics that include an inwardly rotated hip or a knee that falls inward while running
Weakness of the hip abductor muscles
Hip tightness (of the hip capsule, gluteal muscles or tensor fascia lata muscle)
The third goal is to treat the root cause of the pain and coach our client in strategies to independently manage and prevent future pain episodes. Common treatment strategies include:
Manual therapy to improve hip mobility and decrease hip muscle tightness.
Establishment of an exercise program to strengthen the hip muscles.
Modify running mechanics to decrease compressive loads at the lateral knee.
Do you have nagging lateral knee pain that you would like to get rid of? Contact us to schedule an appointment!