Most runners can get pain from time to time. Persistent knee pain during or after running could be IT Band Syndrome. It typically develops due to one or more factors including poor running form, muscle imbalances, leg length differences, unsupportive or worn-out shoes, or sudden changes in training such as a significant increase in mileage or adding steep hills. Here are some details about this condition: Along with pain at the lateral knee, signs include pain that radiates up from your knee and into your thigh. Get more details about this condition and ways to get help here.
What Is IT Band Syndrome?
Your IT band or iliotibial band runs along the outside of your leg from your hip to the top of the shin. It is essentially a broad, flat tendon attaching a hip muscle called the tensor fascia latae to the tibial bone at an insertion known as Gerdy’s Tubercle. Mechanical strain of the muscle and band typically leads to tightening and soft tissue lesions such as trigger points and fibrosis. Sometimes there is no actual tissue pathology but the runner feels pain due to too much force or pressure repeatedly through the area during a run. Pain at onset is almost always at the outside or lateral aspect of the knee but can radiate up along the lateral thigh and hip. It typically presents at some point during the mid to late phase of a running session, but can also show up after the run is over. Most other activities do not produce the pain but other forms of exercise such as hiking, squats, and cycling may exacerbate it. The end of the IT band closest to the knee can also become inflamed which generally presents as a “toothache-like” pain after a run. It is one of several specific diagnoses associated with the more general term called runner’s knee.
Is It Fixable?
In many cases, the pain and discomfort from IT band syndrome can lessen with rest, icing the affected area, fixing running form, being fitted with optimal new running shoes, and physical therapy. Adopting IT band-focused stretching/strengthening exercises can help correct the issue and allow for a return to a running program going forward.
How Does Physical Therapy Help?
A doctor of physical therapy will examine your muscles for strength and flexibility as well as checking joint motion/integrity. The soft tissue quality will be assessed to see if there are any tight spots needing to be worked out. And your running form will be checked and optimized using a video treadmill analysis. Your physical therapist will also take your symptoms into account and your running goals, and then develop a treatment plan to ease your pain and allow you to keep running. Through hands-on manual therapy treatments such as ASTYM, neuromuscular re-education, strengthening, and strategic stretching, runners often find that physical therapy helps them feel better without having to give up an activity they love.
Need Help Caring for Knee Pain During or After Running Near Des Moines?
Advance Physical Therapy is a state-of-the-art sports rehabilitation and physical therapy practice offering patients effective treatments to support recovery for a wide range of conditions and injuries. Contact us to learn more about our services, treatments and resources for patients seeking relief from knee pain after running.
Reliable IT Band Syndrome Help for Knee Pain During or After Running Near Des Moines
Serving South King County, including Burien, Normandy Park, Des Moines, Kent, Seattle & Tukwila
Posted on July 25, 2023 | Published by Ignite Local | Related Local Business