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    The iliotibial band is a long piece of tendon like tissue that runs down the outside of your thigh.  Its not really a muscle, and has no neurological contractile capabilities; in other words, you can’t use your brain to tell it to move.  The IT band has mechanisms within the cells of its structure which cause it to contract under stress.  There is a small muscle at the top of the IT band on your outer hip called the “tensor fascia latte” which assists in lateral movement and does contract in conjunction with the IT band, but it is not really strong enough to handle the whole weight and length of the entire band.

    The IT band is a particular boon for runners and even more-so for female runners purely because of the structure of the body.  It is imperative that runners and athletes who engage in a lot of running like soccer, field hockey, or lacrosse players attend to their IT band strength and flexibility as part of their work out routine.

    Most people wont even recognize that they have an IT band until it starts to hurt on the outside of the knee while running or playing your sport.  If the outer portion of your knee begins to hurt over time - not like an immediate bruise or sudden pop, but rather a slow dull ache that turns into a biting pain with continued activity - you may have ilio-tibial band syndrome or ITBS.   The more common name for ITBS is “runners knee”.  To help confirm ITBS, massage the outer portion of your knee - it will probably hurt - then continue to massage the outer portion of your thigh up to your hip.  If this part of your body feels tender and sore to the touch, there is a good chance you might have ITBS.

    Don’t fret, however, ITBS is not life nor career threatening.  Like so many other over use injuries, it is simply an inflammation of a tissue which eventually starts to hurt because it is tired of working so hard.  Ice and massage are going to be two of the best recourses you have to combat ITBS - that along with temporarily stopping the activity which caused the pain in the first place.  (Sorry, runners, if you don’t stop running here - at least for several weeks, the condition will never go away and could become much more damaging). 

    If you cant find a good masseuse or don’t want to fork out the cash, you can try self myo-fascial release with a foam roller or other massaging device over the outer part of your thigh to help remedy the situation.  When applying ice, make sure you cover the entire part of your outer thigh - not just the knee.  Just because you feel the pain in the knee doesn’t mean the whole structure isn’t affected and inflamed.  Ice the whole thing for a better result - 20 minutes on, 30 minutes off.

    Ladies, unfortunately you are going to find this condition more commonly in your activities than your male counterparts simply because of something called an “unfavorable Q angle” which is the result of having wider hips and smaller bones than men.

    To help avoid ITBS in the first place, make sure you incorporate lateral movement into your training - side shuffles, side hops, anything that makes your body go back and forth sideways.  Do these exercises frequently to keep the IT band loose and flexible and hopefully you wont encounter the aching and irritation associated with iliotibial band syndrome.

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