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DESCRIPTION:
The iliotibial band runs along the outside of the thigh from the hip to the outside of the knee. It stabilizes the knee, particularly during running. The syndrome is caused by strong exertion of the band during sports and training. It is one of the top 10 exercise-related injuries among runners.
How does Iliotibial Band Syndrome develop?
 Many sports that require a lot of running or weight-bearing activity can lead to overload of the iliotibial band, causing it to thicken and rub over the femoral bone resulting in inflammation and/or irritation of the knee (see figure). As a result, both the fasciae latae muscle and the iliotibial band become fatigued and overloaded and their ability to adequately stabilize the entire leg is lost. The knee and its structures then experience stress, which can lead to damage and much pain. Any of the following can contribute to Iliotibial Band Syndrome: exercising on concrete or other hard surfaces or on uneven ground, which causes the downhill leg to bend slightly and stretch the band; starting a new exercise regimen after not having exercised for a while; raising the exercise intensity; wearing poor shoes; inadequate warming up or cooling down; or running uphill or downhill. Differences in leg length, stiff muscles, muscle imbalance, flat feet or poor foot structure and pronation (inward and downward tilting of the foot) may also be factors.
What are the symptoms of Iliotibial Band Syndrome?
This syndrome is characterized by a sharp burning pain on the outer side of the knee, just below the joint line. Pain may be localized at the side of the knee, or it may radiate up the side of the thigh. The pain worsens with continued movement, and resolves with rest. The knee may feel like it "snaps" when it is bent and then straightened. Some individuals may also experience a "snapping hip," in which the muscles that cross the outside of the hip feel like they snap or click while walking or running.
Conventional medical treatments may help relieve the symptoms of Iliotibial Band Syndrome, but they do not address the root of the problem. By strengthening structural weaknesses in the body, as natural medicine treatments like Prolotherapy do, pain associated with Iliotibial Band Syndrome may be alleviated permanently.
Discover why we believe that natural medicine treatments are the best way to treat Iliotibial Band Syndrome.
Click here to read Prolotherapy research by Dr. Ross Hauser and his team on Prolotherapy injections for knee pain and degeneration.
Click here to read Prolotherapy research by Dr. Ross Hauser and his team on Prolotherapy injections for knee pain and degeneration.
Click here to read a patient’s story of Prolotherapy injection treatment saving him from bilateral knee replacements. This story was published in the Journal of Prolotherapy.
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