Barry was Running and felt Lateral Knee Pain. What was it?

Barry has been a patient at PhysioWorks for many years. When you run two or three marathons a year you get to know your physio pretty well!

Barry had changed his running shoes after Christmas and had been trying to wean himself away from his oldest pair of joggers. He first noticed some lateral knee pain after a 30 minute run. We changed his shoes back to his old ones for a while while we sorted out some hip control issues that meant he collapsed partially during his running stride. This eased his ITB syndrome pain that we feel was just waiting to happen but this new shoes hastened the whole process.

Keep running Barry.Have a great running year!

What is ITB Syndrome?

ITB Syndrome (Iliotibial friction syndrome) is one of the most common causes of "Runner's Knee" and can account for up to 22% of overuse injuries in runners. Being an overuse injury, it is caused by repeated trauma rather than a specific incident.

The ITB attaches to a bony protuberance (femoral condyle) on the outside of the knee. It slides forwards and backwards across this bony point with movement. This repetitive sliding can create excess friction, especially when the knee is bent at 30 degrees, which commonly happens just as your foot strikes the ground in running. This region of 30 degrees of knee flexion is called an “Impingement Zone” or pinching of irritated structures over the outside of the knee, thereby producing ITB Friction Syndrome.

What is the Iliotibial Band?

The ITB, or iliotibial band, is a long, thin band of fascia that runs down the outside of your thigh. At the top of your thigh it is attached to your Tensor Fascia Latae (TFL) muscle, and Gluteus Maximus and at the bottom it attaches to your tibia (lower leg bone) and femoral condyle on lower outside portion of the thigh bone.

What Causes ITB Syndrome?

Essentially ITB friction syndrome is caused by altered running biomechanics due to underlying muscular imbalances.Your biomechanics can alter due to a muscle imbalance (weakness or tightness), fatigue and ground impact issues.

Read full article: ITB Syndrome