Physical Therapy Expert Melissa Prestipino, DPT: Causes of Pain from Running

Repetitive activities such as running can cause specific injuries for that population of people. Iliotibial Band Syndrome is one of the most common overuse injuries in runners. It can occur just as frequently for new runners as experienced runners. The ITB or Iliotibial Band is a very large ligament that attaches from the outside of your hip to the outside of your knee.When the ITB is tight, it can pull the patella laterally (towards the outside of your leg), contributing to knee pain while running. The ITB gets tight due to many different causes such as wearing worn down running shoes, running too many miles, or running downhill or on banked surfaces.The ITB is a ligament, not a muscle. Therefore, it is a non-contractile structure that cannot be effectively stretched. While there are common ITB stretches, the “foam roller” has been found to be a very effective technique to roll out the tightness in the ITB. Patients with this diagnosis can also benefit from physical therapy to manually stretch and massage the band, along with strengthening the muscles of the lower extremity that are found to be weakened.