Abstract
Iliotibial band syndrome (ITBS) is an overuse injury caused by ripetitive friction of the iliotibial band and underlying bursa or lateral synovial 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 knee flexion. The development of ITBS is usually caused by a combination of intrinsic and extrinsic factors, and it must be evaluated also the biomechanics of running and the training program. Imaging (MRI, sonography) is not usually required to confirm the diagnosis of ITBS. The conservative treatment includes activity modification, soft tissue therapy, electrotherapeutic modalities, corticosteroid injection and 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.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsBibliography
Barber FA, Sutker AN (1992) Iliotibial band syndrome. Sports Med 14(2):144–148
Noble CA (1980) Iliotibial band friction in runners. Am J Sports Med 8:232–234
Renne JW (1975) The iliotibial band friction syndrome. J Bone Joint Surg Am 57(8):1110–1111
Evans P (1979) The postural function, of the iliotibial tract. Ann R Coll Surg Engl 61(4):272–280
Terry GC, Hughston JC, Norwood LA (1986) The anatomy of the iliopatellar band and the iliotibial tract. Am J Sports Med 14(1):39–45
Nemeth WC, Sanders BL (1996) The lateral synovial recess of the knee: anatomy and role in chronic iliotibial band friction syndrome. Arthroscopy 12(5):574–580
Strauss EJ, Kim S, Calcei JC, Park D (2011) Iliotibial band syndrome: evaluation and management. J Am Acad Orthop Surg 19(12):728–736
Orchard JW, Fricker PA, Abud AT, Mason BR (1996) Biomechanics of iliotibial band friction syndrome in runners. Am J Sports Med 24(3):375–379
Orava S, Lappilahti J (1999) Overuse injuries of tendons in athletes. J Bone Joint Surg (Br) 4:128–131
Migliorini S (2000) The triathlon: acute and overuse injuries. J Sports Traumatol Relat Res 22(4):186–195
Fredericson M, Guillet M, De Benedictis L (2000) Quick solutions for iliotibial band syndrome. Phys Sports Med 28(2):55–68
Schwellnus MP (1993) Lower limb biomechanics in runners with the iliotibial band friction syndrome. Med Sci Sports Exerc 25(5):S69
Fairclough JJ, Hayashi K, Toumi H, Lyons K, Bydder G, Phillips N, Best TM, Benjamin M (2006) The functional anatomy of the iliotibial band during flexion and extension of the knee: implications for understanding iliotibial band syndrome. J Anat 208(3):309–316
Ekman EF, Pope T, Martin DF, Curl WW (1994) Magnetic resonance imaging of the iliotibial band syndrome. Am J Sports Med 22:851–854
Hariri S, Savidge ET, Reinold MM, Zachazewski J, Gill TJ (2009) Treatment of recalcitrant iliotibial band friction syndrome with open iliotibial band bursectomy. Am J Sports Med 37(7):1417–1424
Murphy BJ, Hechtman KS, Uribe JW, Selesnick H, Smith RL, Zlatkin MB (1992) Iliotibial band friction syndrome: MR imaging findings. Radiology 185(2):569–571
Gunter P, Schwellnus MP (2004) Local corticosteroid injection in iliotibial band friction syndrome in runners: a randomised controlled trial. Br J Sports Med 38:269–272
Cook SD, Kester MA, Brunet ME, Haddad RJ Jr (1985) Biomechanics of running shoe performance. Clin Sports Med 4:619–626
Holmes JC, Pruitt AL, Whalen NJ (1993) Iliotibial band syndrome in cyclists. Am J Sports Med 21(3):419–424
Martens M, Libbrecht P, Burssens A (1989) Surgical treatment of iliotibial band friction syndrome. Am J Sports Med 17(5):651–654
Michels F, Jambon S, Allard M, Bousquet T, Colombet P, De Lavigne C (2009) An artroscopic technique to treat the ileotibial band syndrome. Knee Surg Sports Traumatol Arthrosc 17(3):233–236
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2016 Springer International Publishing Switzerland
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Merlo, M., Migliorini, S. (2016). Iliotibial Band Syndrome (ITBS). In: Bisciotti, G., Volpi, P. (eds) The Lower Limb Tendinopathies. Sports and Traumatology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-33234-5_7
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-33234-5_7
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-33232-1
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-33234-5
eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)