Abstract
Iliotibial band syndrome (ITBS) is an overuse injury caused by repetitive friction of the iliotibial band and the underlying bursa or lateral recess across the lateral femoral epicondyle. ITBS is a well-known cause of lateral knee pain in endurance sports and particularly in long-distance runners. Friction occurs near foot strike, predominantly in the foot contact phase, at, or slightly below, 30° of flexion. The ITBS is usually caused by a combination of intrinsic and extrinsic factors and must be evaluated also the biomechanics of running and the training programme. Imaging (MRI, echography) is not usually required to confirm the diagnosis of ITBS. The conservative treatment includes the activity modification, the soft tissue therapy, the electrotherapeutic modalities, the corticosteroid injection and the correction of the biomechanical abnormalities. The personal ITB surgical release performed by the authors may be indicated if the conservative management fails and it is a safe procedure to return to practice sports at the same level.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Barber FA, Sutker AN. Iliotibial band syndrome. Sports Med. 1992;14(2):144–8.
Noble CA. Iliotibial band friction in runners. Am J Sports Med. 1980;8:232–4.
Van der Worp MP, Van der Horst, De Wijer A, Backx JG, Nijhuis van der Sanden MWG. Iliotibial band syndrome in runners. A systematic review. Sports Med. 2012;42(11):1–24.
Renne JW. The iliotibial band friction syndrome. J Bone Joint Surg Am. 1975;57(8):1110–1.
Evans P. The postural function, of the iliotibial tract. Ann R Coll Surg Engl. 1979;61(4):272–80.
Terry GC, Hughston JC, Norwood LA. The anatomy of the iliopatellar band and the iliotibial tract. Am J Sports Med. 1986;14(1):39–45.
Nemeth WC, Sanders BL. The lateral synovial recess of the knee: anatomy and role in chronic iliotibial band friction syndrome. Arthroscopy. 1996;12(5):574–80.
Strauss EJ, Kim S, Calcei JC, Park D. Iliotibial band syndrome: evaluation and management. J Am Acad Orthop Surg. 2011;19(12):728–36.
Orchard JW, Fricker PA, Abud AT, Mason BR. Biomechanics of iliotibial band friction syndrome in runners. Am J Sports Med. 1996;24(3):375–9.
Orava S, Lappilahti J. Overuse injuries of tendons in athletes. J Bone Joint Surg (Br). 1999;4:128–31.
Baker RL, Souza RB, Fredericson M. Iliotibial band syndrome: soft tissue and biomechanical factors in evaluation and treatment. PM R. 2011;3(6):550–61.
Migliorini S. The triathlon: acute and overuse injuries. J Sports Traumatol Relat Res. 2000;22(4):186–95.
Migliorini S, Merlo M. Iliotibial band syndrome in triathletes. Paper presented at the Fourth IOC World Congress on Sport Sciences, Montecarlo, 22–25 October, 1997.
Migliorini S, Merlo M. Iliotibial band syndrome in triathletes. Paper presented at the 2003 ISAKOS Congress, Auckland, 10–14 March, 2003.
Migliorini S. Risk factors and injury mechanism in triathlon. Paper presented at 1st Science +Triathlon conference, University of Alicante, 24–26 March, 2011.
Fredericson M, Guillet M, DeBenedictis L. Quick solutions for iliotibial band syndrome. Phys Ther Sport. 2000;28(2):55–68.
Fredericson M, Wolf C. Iliotibial band syndrome in runners: innovations in treatment. Sports Med. 2005;35(5):451–9.
Fredericson M, Cookingham CL, Chaudhari AM, Dowdell BC, Oestreicher N, Sahrmann SA. Hip abductor weakness in distance runners with iliotibial band syndrome. Clin J Sports Med. 2000;10(3):169–75.
Schwellnus MP. Lower limb biomechanics in runners with the iliotibial band friction syndrome. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 1993;25(5):S69.
Phinyomark A, Osis S, Hetting BA, Leigh R, Ferber R. Gender differences in gait kinematics in runners with iliotibial band syndrome. Scand J Med Sci Sports. 2015;25(6):744–53.
Fairclough JJ, Hayashi K, Toumi H, Lyons K, Bydder G, Phillips N, Best TM, Benjamin M. The functional anatomy of the iliotibial band during flexion and extension of the knee: implications for understanding iliotibial band syndrome. J Anat. 2006;208(3):309–16.
Ekman EF, Pope T, Martin DF, Curl WW. Magnetic resonance imaging of the iliotibial band syndrome. Am J Sport Med. 1994;22:851–4.
Hariri S, Savidge ET, Reinold MM, Zachazewski J, Gill TJ. Treatment of recalcitrant iliotibial band friction syndrome with open iliotibial band bursectomy. Am J Sport Med. 2009;37(7):1417–24.
Murphy BJ, Hechtman KS, Uribe JW, Selesnick H, Smith RL, Zlatkin MB. Iliotibial band friction syndrome: MR imaging findings. Radiology. 1992;185(2):569–71.
Gunter P, Schwellnus MP. Local corticosteroid injection in iliotibial band friction syndrome in runners: a randomised controlled trial. Br J Sports Med. 2004;38:269–72.
Weckstromk K, Soderstrom J. Radial extracorporeal shockwave therapy compared with manual therapy in runners with iliotibial band syndrome. J Back Musculoskelet Rehabil. 2016;29(1):161–70.
Cook SD, Kester MA, Brunet ME, Haddad RJ Jr. Biomechanics of running shoe performance. Clin Sports Med. 1985;4:619–26.
Wilder RP, Brennan K. Physiological responses to deep water running in athletes. Sports Med. 1993;16:374–80.
Wilder RP, Brennan DK. Schotte DE (1993) a standard measure for exercise prescription for aqua running. Am J Sports Med. 1993;21:45–8.
Holmes JC, Pruitt AL, Whalen NJ. Iliotibial band syndrome in cyclists. Am J Sports Med. 1993;21(3):419–24.
Martens M, Libbrecht P, Burssens A. Surgical treatment of iliotibial band friction syndrome. Am J Sports Med. 1989;17(5):651–4.
Richards M, Libbrecht P, Burssens A. Surgical treatment of the iliotibial band friction syndrome. Am J Sports Med. 1989;17(5):651–4.
Michels F, Jambon S, Allard M, Bousquet T, Colombet P, De Lavigne C. An artroscopic technique to treat the iliotibial band syndrome. Knee Surg Sports Traumatol Arthrosc. 2009;17(3):233–6.
Merlo M, Migliorini S. Iliotibial band syndrome (ITBS). In: Bisciotti GN, Volpi P, editors. The lower limb tendinopathies. Springer International Publishing; 2016. p. 117–126.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2020 Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Migliorini, S., Merlo, M., Migliorini, L. (2020). Iliotibial Band Syndrome (ITBS). In: Migliorini, S. (eds) Triathlon Medicine. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-22357-1_6
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-22357-1_6
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-030-22356-4
Online ISBN: 978-3-030-22357-1
eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)