Resources - Injuries

 

 

 

Iliotibal Band Friction Syndrome

By Jake Kennedy, RPT

Iliotibial band friction syndrome refers to a soft tissue injury at the outside of the knee. It usually involves overuse of the tendon that moves across your knee as you run.

The tendon is the end part of the muscle that connects the muscle belly (the middle part of the muscle) to the bone. The tendon is susceptible to break down from repetitive forces because it is the most narrow part of the muscle, it is the most inelastic part, and because it attaches into the bone which creates friction.

The iliotibial band refers to a muscle that runs from the outside hip to the outside knee. It is a two joint muscle, controlling both the hip and knee. This creates a tug of war during running. The hip asks the muscle to go one way, and the knee asks it to go another. As it pulls back and forth, it runs over the knee bone. Friction can easily become excessive due to the inherent tightness of this muscle. In fact, it is the only muscle referred to as a "band" because of its tightness.

If these repetitions create more stress than your body can handle, the tendon may break down. Similar to any overuse injury, it is usually due to an unrealistic increase in exercise intensity, frequency or duration.

If you are diagnosed with iliotibial band friction syndrome, take the following steps:

  • Review your exercise program. Try to determine which component was the culprit.
  • Decrease your total mileage, speed work and hill work.
  • Cross train. Substitute with less stressful activities such as using the Stairmaster or Nordic Track, backward/uphill treadmill walking, or pool running.
  • Replace any worn out running sneakers.
  • Ice the outside of your knee for 10 minutes every night and after exercise sessions.
  • Stretch before your exercise, after your exercise and other times throughout the day.
  • Warm up before exercising. When running, your first mile should be tediously slow. Before starting any exercise it is a good idea to do two or three minutes of easy continuous motions, (i.e. Stairmaster, walking, etc.) then stretch before gradually beginning to exercise.