Have you felt chronic pain in the outside of your knee? Or maybe you have hip pain. There are several possibilities and one is Iliotibial Band Syndrome, also called ITB.
Iliotibial band syndrome is a common sports injury that affects the knee of runners, bikers, hikers and weight lifters.
The Iliotibial Band is a tendonous extension of the fascia that covers from the lateral condyle of the tibia to the gluteus maximus; basically from the knee to the hip. The Iliotibial band provides support and stability and holds the pelvis to the lower leg.
Iliotibial band syndrome happens when the band becomes inflamed. This is commonly an overuse injury associated with runners, hikers, bikers and weight lifters. There are training habits that increase your risk of developing Iliotibial Band Syndrome. If you are a runner exercising on a banked surface, inadequate warm up or cool down, increasing distance too quickly, downhill running or running the stairs can increase your risk of developing Iliotibial Band Syndrome.
Other abnormalities in the biomechanical expression of the foot and leg can also increase your risk. These abnormalities include over pronation, uneven leg length or bowed legs can also cause undue stress on the iliotibial band that will lead to over use and inflammation.
