What is Iliotibial Band Syndrome and How To Fix It

Iliotibial band syndrome (IT band) is an overuse injury commonly seen in long distance runners and cyclists. When the IT becomes inflamed, it can cause pain along the outside of your hip or knee and often gets worse the longer it is left untreated.

It may surprise you to learn that the IT band is actually not a muscle, which makes it a bit more challenging to treat. Starting at the hip, the IT band is a thick band of fibrous tissue that runs along the outside of your leg to just below the knee. 

The reason why so many athletes such as distance runners and cyclists are susceptible to IT band syndrome is because of the repetitive nature of running and cycling and the stress placed on the lower kinetic chain. The IT band runs along with your thigh muscles to help to provide stability to the outside of the knee joint. 

So here’s what you can do to rehabilitate and even prehab IT band syndrome:

Rest

If you are diagnosed with IT band syndrome or experiencing any of those tell tale signs such as pain on the outside of your hip or knee, the first thing you need to do is rest. This is not an injury you should train through, as it can increase the inflammation and pain.

Get Help

Once it is established, IT band syndrome can be a very stubborn injury to treat and can take months to go away if it isn’t properly dealt with. Book an appointment with a rehab specialist to assess the injury and its cause. Also, a rehab specialist will be able to help bring down the inflammation and treat any surrounding muscles which may have tightened up as a result of the injury. Lastly, as the IT band is a large piece of fascia, they can help break up any adhesions in the tissue to allow the fascia to glide smoothly between the muscles.

Strengthen Your Hips

Lastly, it is time to improve your hip strength and stability. Incorporating simple hip strengthening exercises will not only help treat the symptoms, but also prevent it from flaring up again. Your rehab specialist will prescribe the right exercises for you and ensure that you are doing them correctly.