Dr. Ben Wedro practices emergency medicine at Gundersen Clinic, a regional trauma center in La Crosse, Wisconsin. His background includes undergraduate and medical studies at the University of Alberta, a Family Practice internship at Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario and residency training in Emergency Medicine at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center.
Dr. Shiel received a Bachelor of Science degree with honors from the University of Notre Dame. There he was involved in research in radiation biology and received the Huisking Scholarship. After graduating from St. Louis University School of Medicine, he completed his Internal Medicine residency and Rheumatology fellowship at the University of California, Irvine. He is board-certified in Internal Medicine and Rheumatology.
Iliotibial band syndrome is an overuse injury of tissues of the outer thigh
and knee.
The iliotibial band runs along the lateral or outside aspect of the thigh and
is an important structure that stabilizes the knee as it flexes and extends.
Inflammation of the IT band can occur as it crosses the femoral epicondyle on
the lateral side of the knee joint.
Iliotibial band syndrome is an overuse
injury causing pain on the outside part of the knee especially during running
when the heel strikes the ground.
RICE and anti-inflammatory medications are
first-line treatments.
Physical therapy may be helpful and, rarely, surgery is
an option.
Prevention is a key component and includes keeping muscles well
stretched.
What is iliotibial band syndrome?
Iliotibial band syndrome (ITBS or IT band syndrome) is an overuse injury of the tissues located on the outer part of thigh and knee. It causes pain and tenderness in those areas, especially just above the knee joint. Iliotibial band syndrome is more common in runners and bicyclists.
The iliotibial band is a thick band of tissue that begins at the iliac crest in the pelvis, runs down the outer part of the thigh, and crosses the knee to attach into the top part of the tibia or shinbone. The iliotibial (IT) band helps stabilize the knee through its range of motion.
Picture of the iliotibial (IT) band
When the knee is flexed, the IT band is located behind the femoral condyle, a bony outcropping of the femur or thighbone at the knee. The IT band moves forward across the condyle when the knee is extended. There is a sac or bursa that allows the band to glide across the condyle, but should inflammation occur in the area, the increased friction from repeated rubbing of the iliotibial band against the bony condyle can cause pain, especially along the outer (lateral) aspect of the knee joint.
If the symptoms are ignored, the inflammation can continue and
scarring can
occur in the bursa, decreasing knee range of motion and causing increasing pain
with decreasing activity.
Reviewed by William C. Shiel Jr., MD, FACP, FACR on 4/25/2012
The knee joint is composed of three compartments and ligaments which stabilize the joint. Causes of knee pain may include injury, degeneration, infrequently
While the patient's history and physical examination are the building blocks
of making a medical diagnosis, the ability to peer inside the body can be a
powerful tool. Ultrasound is an imaging technique that provides th"...
