- Have you ever had pain on the lateral (outside) aspect of your knee?
- Did it first occur when you had been running or cycling for a sustain period of time?
- Now when you run or cycle does it cause you pain after a few minutes of exercise?
- Maybe you have tried Physiotherapy with limited success?
Many people have investigated this injury and with it being said that 33% of runners get it, the results of conservative treatment are poor. Usually this is due to treating the symptoms rather than the cause. This cause can come commonly from a incorrect movement pattern which is repeated over and over, for example when running or cycling.
RUNNING
It is becoming more and more apparent that crossing over (when your foot land over the midline of the body) this puts an extra stress on the outside of your thigh (ITB). This extra stress can be tolerated for a short period of time but if you increase your mileage or have to compensate due to pain elsewhere, this could cause ITB syndrome.
CYCLING
Again with cycling, a minor incorrect biomechanical movement can cause the knee to become unstable and the ITB to over work. A muscle imbalance can commonly increase the workload of the ITB.
TREATMENT
The injury has to heal so ICE initially if the area feels inflamed or swollen. Then doing exercise that is completely pain free to allow the ITB to recover such as cross trainer. To give yourself the best chance of not have a recurring injury is to begin with the foundations. This include getting the core and glute muscles stronger to give you a base to work from. Sit ups and squats won’t help you that much, it needs to be more specific for the type of exercise you are doing. If running then single leg work is really important (because you are always on one leg or the other when running).
Then its moving on to correcting the biomechanics of the exercise (running or cycling). Getting a qualified professional in your specific field to look at your technique when on the bike or running. They will be able to help you correct you movement patterns and have you back performing at your best before you know it.
Bristol Physiotherapy Clinic and The Running School can check your running mechanics to see if you have any abnormalities that could be causing you pain or could cause problems in the future. Call or Email now!
Tel: 01179 738 319
Email: bristol@runningschool.co.uk