Iliotibial Band Syndrome (Runners Knee) Knee pain treatment at Plymouth Sports Injury Clinic
I’m often asked what are the commonest Sports Injuries I treat. Knee injuries are the most frequent injuries that pass through our clinic doors. Medial collateral ligament injuries and Iliotibial Band syndrome.
What is Iliotibial Band Syndrome?
Iliotibial band syndrome causes lateral knee pain. It is regarded as a friction syndrome where the ITBrubs against (and
‘rolls over’) the lateral femoral epicondyle. When the leg is in a straight (in the extended position) the band fibers are anterior to, or in front of, the condyle (a bony projection on the femur, or thigh bone). As the knee flexes, the fibers move across the condyle and are positioned behind or posterior to it. A bursa or sac in this area allows the iliotibial band to glide over the end of the femur.
It is normally an overuse injury which results in damage to the insertion of the Iliotibial band, this is the long fibrous band that runs from the Gluteal muscles down the outside of the leg attaching to the area of the lateral knee.
There are other contributing factors which may help to cause this injury such as: mechanical issues with poor flexibility and decreased strength in the quadriceps muscles of the thigh lead to the inflammation. Spasm of the Gluteal muscles causes tightness of the ITB , and factors such as leg length discrepancy, an abnormal pelvic tilt, and “bowlegs” (genu varum: genu=knee + varum=angles in) may cause iliotibial band syndrome because of excess stretching of the IT band across the femoral condyle. High or low arches of the feet may also be a contributing factor. As with most Sports Injuries their will be some of these predisposing factors involved.
Here is a link to a short video explaining a little about the causes and the anatomy of Iliotibial band syndrome, Exercises to stretch the Iliotibial band are generally pretty useless however the best two that I have found are both shown on this video.
Treatment for Iliotibial band syndrome
We use a multi-factorial approach to treatment of Sports injuries. We believe that the specific primary treatment should be soft tissue therapy, this is used in conjunction with exercises/stretching and support/kinesio taping. Quite often practitioners just give exercises and or taping, this helps but is only half the answer, the soft tissue methods we use are listed below. We also give advice on using medication, ice and heat treatment.
Our particular soft tissue techniques involve:
General Soft Tissue Therapy
Myofascial Release
Therapeutic Massage Therapy
Instrument Assisted Soft Tissue Therapy
Electro-massage
Trigger point therapy
Kinesio-taping (This is a therapeutic treatment for soft tissues, in particular the Myofascia)
Kinesio taping … why is it so popular with sports teams and athletes
The little infographic below explains about Kinesio taping:
Chiropractor / Sports Scientist Kevin Kelly (BSc (Hons.DC) and Sports Massage therapist Elena Long (MSc.) are certificated Kinesio taping practitioners.
 Knee pain treatment at Plymouth Sports Injury Clinic){kind=link}
The greatest sporting achievement ever!
I used to think the greatest ever sporting achievement was when Ali beat George Foreman for the undisputed heavyweight championship of the world, after an odd’s on Foreman had annihilated Ali’s previous opponents Joe Frazier and Ken Norton dispatching them in a couple of rounds (He even hit Joe Frazier so hard both his feet left the ground!) Ali having had gruelling 15 round fights against both Frazier and Norton was a total underdog, He proved why he was the King Knocking Foreman out in the middle of the fight.
Nothing, not even this fight can compare to Oscar Pistorius going to the Olympics: Oscar Pistorius has been selected to run in both the individual 400 metres and the 4×400-metre relay at the London Olympics and is set to become the first amputee track athlete to compete at any games.
In a surprising last-minute decision Wednesday, South Africa’s Olympic committee and national track federation cleared the double amputee to run in his individual event. The Olympic committee earlier announced that Pistorius had been picked only for the relay.
Olympic committee chief executive Tubby Reddy tells The Associated Press that the track body asked for permission to also allow Pistorius to run the 400, even though he had not met their qualifying criteria.
I really hope he wins and any detractors who say .. “He has an unfair advantage” should try being 11 years old in a wheelchair with stumps instead of legs watching all his friends running around and work out what it took for this young man to achieve this incredible feat. I am truly in awe of this man’s achievement.
Source: nationalpostsports.tumblr.com
400m, George Foreman, Joe Frazier, Olympic, OscarPistorius | 
Leave a commentEating before exercise
Carbohydrates are essential for peak athletic performance, as the body uses this nutrient more efficiently than fat or protein. When exercising the timing of carbohydrate intake is very important. Athletes should consume 1.0 to 4.0 g/kg of 
body weight one to four hours prior to exercise, focusing on longer-lasting sources of carbohydrate combined with a source of protein (e.g., peanut butter on whole grain bread).
Recommendations for carbohydrate intake are higher for endurance training and competition (7.0 to 10.0 g/kg/day) and high-intensity athletics (5.0 to 8.0 g/kg/day).
Sportsmen and women and anyone participating in exercise should ensure that they don’t exercise on an empty stomach, ie. going to the gym straight after work without a snack mid-afternoon.
Remember if you train correctly and don’t over exert yourself you are less likely to get injured. If you are running low on fuel when playing sport you are more likely to make errors that could result in injury.
Plantar Fascitis
Plantar fascitis is a painful inflammatory process of the plantar fascia, the connective tissue on the sole (bottom surface) of the foot. It is often caused by overuse of the plantar fascia or arch tendon of the foot. It is a very common condition and can be difficult to treat if not looked after properly.
The plantar fascia is a broad, firm, band of ligament-type tissue that is attached to the heel bone and stretches along the bottom of your foot to the base of your toes. You can feel it if you flex your foot and press along the inside of the arch. In fact, the plantar fascia is a large part of the assembly that makes up the arch of the foot.
Longstanding cases of plantar fasciitis often demonstrate more degenerative changes than inflammatory changes, in which case they are termed plantar fasciosis. The suffix “osis” implies a pathology of chronic degeneration without inflammation. Since tendons and ligaments do not contain blood vessels, they do not actually become inflamed. Instead, injury to the tendon is usually the result of an accumulation over time of microscopic tears at the cellular level.
The plantar fascia is a thick fibrous band of connective tissue originating on the bottom surface of the calcaneus (heel bone) and extending along the sole of the foot towards the toes. It has been reported that plantar fasciitis occurs in two
million Americans a year and in 10% of the U.S. population over a lifetime. It is commonly associated with long periods of weight bearing. Among non-athletic populations, it is associated with a high body mass index. The pain is usually felt on the underside of the heel and is often most intense with the first steps of the day. Another symptom is that the sufferer has difficulty bending the foot so that the toes are brought toward the shin (decreased dorsiflexion of the ankle). A symptom commonly recognized among sufferers of plantar fasciitis is an increased probability of knee pains, especially among runners.
Some of the Sports Injuries treated at Plymouth Sports Injury Clinic
Compartment Syndrome
Golfers Elbow
Achilles Tendinitis
Ankle Sprain
Back Pain
Knee Sprains
News & Articles
Osteoarthritis
Patella Tendinitis
Plantar Fascitis
Runners Knee
Sciatica
Shin Splints
Shoulder pain
Slipped Disc
Tennis Elbow
Always warm up
Do sports men/women warm up more when they are older because they are older or wiser? …. probably a combination of both, however warming up is paramount for optimum performance and minimizing injuries.
Never Start Exercise Without a Proper Warm Up – Warming up raises the temperature of your muscles. This makes them tender and flexible. Now they are ready to for exercise and optimum performance.
Conversely if you start exercise without warm up, your muscles are still cold and thus not ready for stress. Sudden stress may strain them leading to back pain.
Great News for Type 2 Diabetes sufferers
Affecting two and half million people in the UK – and on the increase – Type 2 diabetes is a long-term condition caused by too much glucose, a type of sugar, in the blood.
In an early stage clinical trial of 11 people, funded by Diabetes UK, all reversed their diabetes by drastically cutting their food intake to just 600 calories a day for two months. And three months later, seven remained free of diabetes.
