Iliotibial Band Friction Syndrome
What the?
You are probably thinking…ok stop throwing big anatomy words at me...what the??
This maybe true but the more you know about your body the better performance you’ll get out of it.
Some of you may already know this term because you have been in to see us at Balance to receive treatment for it so you can get on with your running and/or cycling, but for those who don’t know… the Iliotibial Band or ITB is the long flat tendon that runs down the outside of your thigh. It connects to one of your hip flexors called Tensor Fascia Latae or TFL and your Gluteus Maximus and then it runs down the lateral thigh and crosses the lateral knee attaching at the head of Fibula.
So what’s the Friction Syndrome?
Well the main function of your ITB is to stablise the leg, and because the ITB is a tendon it has no blood supply and it has no contractile or flexible capabilities it’s just extremely strong. So when the TFL and/or Glut Max get tight and pulls on the tendon it creates tension at the other end as it crosses over the knee, and so when the knee flexes and extends during running or cycling it can create an overuse friction syndrome and pain occurs, often an ache or burning sensation at the knee.
How to treat it
Firstly by identifying the cause and eliminating that. For example: running or cycling too much, poor running shoes, poor bike set-up, poor biomechanics, running on a road camber or lots of downhill.
Once identified the first plan of treatment would be rest alongside regular deep tissue massage to the hip flexors and glutes and to the quads and hamstrings which the ITB does cover slightly on the lateral aspect. This is where the ITB can get a bit “stuck” and adhere to the underlying muscle tissue, so this is where massage helps the most as stretching isn’t as effective. This is where a Foam Roller can be very effective too as home treatment. (on sale at the clinic for only $35)
However stretching the hip flexors and glute muscles is highly recommended.
Ice around the knee area can also help with any inflammation.
Then slowly building back into your training regime as with any rehab phase.
As this is an overuse injury it is very important to get on to treatment quickly and be regular about your icing and massage and stretching.
So now you know what Iliotibial Friction Syndrome is...tell your friends who might have it to come in and see us!!
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CityRun is your weekly running fix! We offer social yet structured technical run squads based out of an inner city Auckland location - currently all starting from the Tepid Baths. We cater to runners of between 22min to 32min for a 5k race-pace, who can also run a minimum of 15 minutes non-stop. Each instalment of sessions is structured around 8-week blocks that build through progressions with plenty of coaching feedback to guide, motivate and teach. We provide 1-2 coaches at each timeslot below. Note - all mornings on hold for Winter
MON 6.30AM - EASY ENDUR (AIM - build gradually up to 45-75min non-stop)
TUE 5.25pm - DRILLS & REPS (AIM - isolate and improve movements plus add speed)
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Check out website www.cityrun.co.nz
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