I thought I would do this topic as I have had experience with this injury in the past. That way I can tell you what to do and what not to do.
It was in the middle of my soccer season many years ago now. Being young I was putting my hand up to play two games every weekend. Until some pain on the outside of my knee slowed me down. I ignored it at first in the hope it would get better on its own. It didn’t and soon I could feel pain the second I started running.
What was it? Iliotibial band syndrome
Let me explain what that is. First of the iliotibial band is a thick band of connective tissue that runs from the hips down to the outside of the knee. As the knee bends and straightens, this band glides back and forth over the bony condyle on the outside of the knee. This can compress and irritate the structures underlying this. As a result, this can cause sharp pain on the outside of the knee when doing activities such as running as the foot strikes the ground or climbing stairs.
As you can see from my story the reason this occurs is due to overload. The key to success is de-loading, rest and gradual re-loading with the addition of strengthening. A common culprit is weak muscles in the hip and tightened structures on the outside of the knee which can be targeted with physiotherapy intervention. I started exercises to improve the strength in my hip muscles and used the foam roller and stretches to loosen off the tight structures.
Fast forward to now where I have no pain and I can run my weekly park run.
Sarah Moseley
Physiotherapist
Sarah graduated from Curtin University with a Masters of Physiotherapy in 2019. She has spent the last few years delivering physio through home visits around the hills area, believing in the importance of maximising independence and function.
She has since joined the team with the passion of working collaboratively with each individual to achieve their goals and the best possible outcome.
Alongside this Sarah works for Football Australia, specifically working with the match officials during Perth Glory games as she has a special interest in sporting injuries. Her background including sports training for UWA Nedlands Football Club where she also played soccer for several years.
In her spare time, you can find her hitting the outdoors running in her neighbourhood or speeding through her local Parkrun.
Special Interests
- Sporting injuries
- Knee pain
- Post op