What is the condition?
Iliotibial Band (ITB) syndrome is a condition that we see a lot with cyclists, runners, or long-distance walkers. It causes pain on the outside of the knee just above the joint. The discomfort may keep athletes and other active people from participating in the activities they enjoy.
How do get it?
A lot of the time, it is caused by muscle imbalance on the inside and outside of your knee and weakness on your hip muscles. It causes some instability at the hip and knee and eventually cause your ITB to pull on its insertion on the outside of the knee. The pulling causes irritation and inflammation leading to pain.
What problems does it cause?
People with ITB syndrome will find it more difficult to exercise as exertion such as running, jumping, or even climbing stairs can be painful.
What is this treatment
The treatment for this condition is manual therapy, radiofrequency therapy and muscle re-education to reduce the imbalance and improve stability of your knee and hips. During our physiotherapy program the problems that are causing your symptoms will be evaluated and treated. Our physiotherapist may use stretching and strengthening exercises, in combination with a knee brace, kneecap taping, or shoe inserts to improve muscle balance and joint alignment of the hip and lower limb. Your physiotherapist will probably ask you about your sport activities and may give you tips on your warmup and training schedule, footwear, and choices of terrain.
What result to expect?
As this is a problem with muscles imbalance and it takes time to strengthen your muscles, you would need at least 4 weeks of therapy to see the results.