Running with Lateral Knee Pain?

This topic is one I have discussed on regularity, as I have had this question posed to me by countless numbers of family and friends.  If any of you endurance runners out there have experienced pain down the side of your knee after running a few miles, there is a good chance you are dealing with tightness of your iliotibial band or IT band for short.  This is not a 100% diagnosis of all knee pain in runners, but it is very common to this population.  The reason why the IT band acts up is typically due to insufficient strength of the gluteal muscles (maximus/medius), typically leading to the TFL/ITB complex overworking and subsequently tightening.  When this happens, the ITB does not glide properly over the lateral knee joint during movement, eventually leading to inflammation.

How do you know if this post can help you?  Here are a few of the common signs and symptoms of ilitotibial band syndrome.

• Pain over the lateral (outside) portion of the knee joint.
• Swelling over the location of discomfort.
• Snapping or popping sensations while the knee is in flexion.

Ok now on to the good stuff.  Now the remedy for this one is no quick fix.  In fact, if you are dealing with this type of injury for a long time, I would recommend seeing a physical therapist (or  MD for a referral first depending on the state). But my recommendation is a combination of modalities, stretching, and exercise.

Here are a few exercises and stretches typically recommended to help out this issue:

foam roll ITB stretch

no foam roll?

I hope that this post can help some of you out with your knee pain.  Again, I reiterate the fact that these are recommendations and if you are having continued knee pain or difficulty, please consult a physician or physical therapist.  Good luck everyone and I hope you are having a good week!