RUNNING INJURIES SERIES – LATERAL KNEE PAIN

Running injuries are a pest and can be incredibly frustrating when they stop you from staying active and doing the thing you love to do. The first blog in this series talked about Runners Knee, which is one of the most common knee related running injuries in the general population. However, there can be other cause of knee pain from running.

Another common knee injury is iliotibial band friction syndrome (ITBFS) which is pain on the outside edge of your knee.

Your IT band is a long piece of connective tissue or fascia that runs from your outer hip to you knee. It helps to laterally stabilise your knee when running, walking or jumping. ITBFS arises from repetitive friction of the band rubbing against your distal thigh bone. A tight IT band along with repetitive knee bending can cause this irritation to occur. Weak glutes and dysfunction with your core and hips are often a key contributor to this condition.

ITBFS is characterised by sharp pain on the outer edge of your knee, with the tissue being tender to touch and often gets worse with deeper knee bending.
The same standard steps that you would use for Runner Knee applies here as well.

• RICE Protocol (rest, ice, compression, elevation)
  Taking nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) like Voltaren or
• Nurofen
  DELOAD – Cutting back how often and how far you run

More specifically for ITBFS, getting physio guided strength and stability exercises to target your deficiencies in biomechanics will often include:

• Glutes strengthening, stability and activation
• Stretching or releasing of your tensor fasciae latae (TFL) and IT band

If you’re suffering from pain when running and want to get thoroughly assessed and an individualised treatment plan made, then book in a full Running Assessment at Befit Physio’s: The Running Space in Randwick.