How To Fix It Band Knee Pain Fast
The best stretches and exercises to help fix your IT band knee pain fast! These are the same exercises I recommend to my physical therapy patients to give them relief from their lateral knee pain. How to treat IT band syndrome naturally and effectively right at home with the right stretches and exercises.
Iliotibial band syndrome, or IT band pain, is a common knee pain condition characterized by pain sharp pain on the outside of the knee joint. It is a very typical overuse injury that is common in an active population .
While this pain can be very sharp, severe, and debilitating at times, fortunately there is a lot that conservative care including the right stretches and exercises can do to mitigate this problem. Today I wanted to share with you eight of my favorite stretches and exercises to help decrease your IT band pain symptoms.
WHAT IS THE IT BAND?
Your IT band is actually a thick, broad tendon that runs down the outside of your upper thigh. It is primarily a tendon for one of your hip flexor muscles, but there are also other muscles that do attach to it and influence its function.
WHAT ARE THE MUSCLES THAT ATTACH TO THE IT BAND?
There are four main muscles that directly influence IT band function. In order to alleviate IT band pain, each of these muscles must be given special attention. Most often, pain is due to increased activity/tension in the anterior muscles and decreased activation of the posterior muscles.
The muscles that influence the IT band include:
What Are The Symptoms Of Runners Knee
Patellofemoral syndrome is commonly described to be a dull ache located inside of your knee cap, or patella. You may also experience the sensation of rubbing, grinding, or clicking under the patella. When this issue is acute, the knee cap may be tender to touch.
In addition to sports and exercise, symptoms of patellofemoral pain syndrome will be present with any activities that involve bending or straightening your knee while weight bearing, such as:
- Standing up from or sitting on a chair
- Going up or down stairs
- Squatting
Professional Help For Knee Pain
Your osteopath, physiotherapist or chiropractor may prescribe a knee brace to help stabilise the kneecap. We may also tape up the knee cap. This is so it does not move around too much reducing friction and helping it heal.
As osteopaths we also look at the back, hip and ankle joints. Restrictions of problems here can also be a cause extra work on the knee. We use functional exercises to help improve the dynamics of these areas, which can help you get back on your feet faster.
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You Ignore Pain Flare
If youre suffering from arthritis or a minor knee injury, you should take care to treat pain flare-ups. Treating the pain when it happens can help manage it. Follow the RICE procedure rest, ice, compression, elevation to calm your knee pain.
If your knee hurts, stop what youre doing and rest. Apply ice to reduce inflammation, consider wearing a compression bandage, and elevate your knee when resting.
When Should I Call The Doctor About Knee Pain
See your doctor right away if you have severe knee pain after a fall or accident, or if your knee is too painful or unstable to support your weight. You should also see your doctor if your knee is swollen or you cant extend it all the way. Call your doctor if you have pain that keeps bothering you longer than a few days.
Last reviewed by a Cleveland Clinic medical professional on 11/03/2020.
References
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You Participate In High
Its important to stay active, and maintaining an exercise routine can actually help knee pain. But high-impact activities can make knee pain worse. Exercise like running, kickboxing, or high intensity interval training can jar your joints and make your knee pain worse. Some stretching exercises, like squats and lunges, can put extra pressure on your knees as well.
Whatever the cause of your knee pain, we can help. Dr. Shults and the team at Coastal Empire Orthopedics offer a range of knee pain treatments for patients. From physical therapy and bracing to reconstruction or knee replacement surgery, were committed to getting you back to your active lifestyle.
You shouldnt have to live with knee pain. Dr. Shults and his team can help diagnose your pain and find a treatment plan that works for you. Get back to enjoying your life with compassionate care at Coastal Empire Orthopedics. Call our Savannah, Georgia, office today or book your first appointment online and start finding relief from your knee pain.
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Exercise And Knee Pain
If your knee pain is due to an injury, surgery, or arthritis, gentle stretching and strengthening exercises may help ease the pain while also improving your flexibility and range of motion.
Exercising a knee thats injured or arthritic may seem counterintuitive, but in fact, exercise is better for your knee than keeping it still. Not moving your knee can cause it to stiffen, and this may worsen the pain and make it harder to go about your daily activities.
Gentle stretching and strengthening exercises can strengthen the muscles that support your knee joint. Having stronger muscles can reduce the impact and stress on your knee, and help your knee joint move more easily.
Before you start an exercise program for knee pain, be sure to talk to your doctor or physical therapist to make sure the exercises are safe for you. Depending on your situation, they may recommend some modifications.
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Tendon Healing Method #: Load Modification
If youre still in the early stages of the injury, you can successfully help your patellar tendon heal by reducing the load it has to handle. Youre in this stage if youve only been experiencing the pain for a couple of weeks.
Reduce your weekly training load to a level at which the discomfort in your patellar tendon goes away. Stay at that level for a few weeks. Once youve done this, increase your weekly training load by 10%, until youve reached your previous level of activity. If your pain returns, you increased your training load too quickly.
The best exercises to perform during this phase are non-ballistic exercises . Do slow weight training or even isometrics to help your tendon grow stronger. Stop all activities that lead to pain.
Know When To See Your Doctor
While many conditions that cause knee pain can be helped by exercise, in some instances it may not be appropriate, says Dr. Lauren Elson, an instructor in physical medicine and rehabilitation at Harvard Medical School. You should stop exercising and see a doctor if you have any of the following symptoms:
- fever
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Knee Pain And Weight Loss
If joint pain is caused by excess wear and tear, then it makes sense that carrying around an extra 10, 20, or 30 pounds of body fat would be bad for your knees.
Sure enough, that seems to be the case.
Excess body weight is generally associated with more knee pain in athletes and sedentary people and for the young and old alike.
Specifically, overweight men and women are four to five times more likely to develop osteoarthritis, which is the gradual degeneration of cartilage in joints. Osteoarthritis is different from rheumatoid arthritis, but both involve increased levels of inflammation and cartilage degeneration.
Due to the mechanics of the knee joint, every pound of weight loss translates into about four pounds of reduced load on the knee, which is why reaching a healthier weight reduces your chances of developing knee joint degeneration by 20 to 30 percent.
In other words, losing 20 pounds is the equivalent of losing 80 pounds as far as your knees are concerned.
But theres more to the story.
Obese people have higher rates of joint degeneration in their wrists, fingers, and shoulders.
Why?
Shouldnt being overweight just hurt load-bearing joints like the hips, knees, and ankles? Why would it damage other joints, too?
Well, the answer seems to be that obesity damages joints partly by raising levels of inflammation in the body. Knee joint degeneration is alsolinked with higher levels of inflammation, which further explains why losing weight protects your knees.
Choosing Exercises For Knee Pain
There are a huge range of exercises for knee pain to choose from and here I share with you my favourites. I have over a decades experience as a physiotherapist and here I share with you the ones that I’ve found work best.
There is something here for everyone. Not only will you find a whole range of tailored programmes for all causes of knee problems, there’s also loads of great advice on how to exercise safely and my top tips on getting the best results.
Each of these exercises for knee pain comes with easy to follow instructions including videos and pictures so you know you are doing them correctly.
If you dont know where to start, I suggest trying the beginners set first and progress on from there.
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Wearing The Proper Shoes Is Important For Healthy Knees
Supportive and comfortable shoes help take pressure off the knee joint by promoting proper leg alignment and balance. So its no surprise that wearing high heels is a common cause of knee pain.
When high heels lift your heel up, your weight bearing line tips forward so your quadriceps have to work harder to hold your knee straight, which then leads to knee pain, says Bush-Joseph. Whereas, if your heel is closer to the floor in low pumps or flats, your thigh muscles dont have to work as hard to maintain stability, which is easier on the knees.
While strength training and stretching can help build up the muscles around the knees to minimize knee damage from heels, its best to save the stilettos for special occasions.
Proper shoes are particularly important during exercise. If you are taking up running as a newbie or starting a new form of aerobic exercise, getting professionally fitted from someone at a running or sporting goods store can help with knee problems and will certainly lower your incidence of having overuse problems due to footwear, says Bush-Joseph.
Do Straight Leg Raises In Four Directions
Lie on your back to perform these exercises. Start by tightening up the front of the thigh to straighten the leg, says Wu. Maintain this muscle contraction and lift the leg up toward the ceiling while keeping your pelvis stable. Slowly lower the leg do 10 repetitions. Now roll onto the opposite side of the leg you are working. Keeping your leg straight and in line with your torso, lift the leg sideways up toward the ceiling. Slowly lower do 10 reps. Now roll onto your stomach and, without arching your back, lift the same leg up again. Slowly lower do 10 reps. Finally, roll onto the same side of the leg you are working out. Bend the top leg forward and place the foot on the ground in front of your bottom leg. Lift the bottom leg straight up toward the ceiling. Slowly lower do 10 reps. Now repeat with the other leg.
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Heel And Calf Stretch
This stretch targets the muscles in your lower leg, specifically your calf muscles.
To do this stretch:
Getting Medical Treatment For Knee Pain
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The Bottom Line On Knee Pain
Knee pain is one of the most common hurdles for us fitness folk.
Unfortunately, most of the things that everyone knows help reduce knee pain either dont have any evidence for them or have been debunked.
While its impossible to know what causes knee pain in every instance, one of the most common culprits is a repetitive strain injury, or RSI. These can take anywhere from weeks to months to heal, but you can speed up the process by sticking to the following seven steps:
Knee Pain And Posture
Poor posture just looks . . . unhealthy.
Surely, hunching over like some gollum wannabe must be bad for your shoulders, back, and knees, right?
Poor posture is also immediately recognizable, easy to fix, and thus, a tempting scapegoat for all kinds of aches and pains.
This is why movement gurus everywhere say that small quirks in your posture, like putting more weight on one leg when you stand, gradually pull your body out of alignment. This forces other parts of your body compensate by altering their movement, which leads to knee pain over time.
If you fix your posture, they say, then everything will fall back into alignment and the pain will go away.
*Sigh* If only it were that easy . . .
It turns out that all of this is more or less hogwash.
Theres very little evidence that small irregularities in posture, movement, or the alignment of your joints increase your risk of any kind of joint pain.
This idea has been thoroughly debunked for knee pain, back pain, and many other kinds of joint pain.
One of the main nails in the coffin for this idea is evidence that people experience pain with no signs of physical injury or misalignment, and there are other cases where people have serious structural damage like dislocated vertebrae, but no pain.
Other studies have shown that muscle imbalances and variations in posture also arent linked with joint pain.
The bottom line is that poor posture is almost certainly not the main cause of your knee pain.
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Exercises To Reduce Knee Pain
Knee pain is one of the most common orthopedic conditions for which people seek medical treatment. It includes pain felt behind and around the knee cap, especially during activities like stair climbing, squatting, running, and walking while carrying a heavy load. Knee pain can prevent you from participating in your favorite activities and performing daily tasks. Without proper treatment, it can linger for years.
Knee pain can be caused by a variety of factors, some of which include knee stiffness, incorrect positioning of the knee cap at rest or with movement, flat feet, improper exercise form, and weakness of the muscles that control the hip and knee.
A physical therapist can work with you to address your knee pain. After an evaluation, a physical therapist will design an individualized comprehensive treatment program to address the specific factors causing your knee pain. You can contact a physical therapist directly for an evaluation.
To find a physical therapist in your area, visit Find a PT.
These exercises are proven by research to reduce pain and improve your ability to participate in the activities you love.
Consult your health care provider before starting these exercises to determine if they are right for you. If you experience any symptoms such as pain, shortness of breath, or dizziness at any time, you should stop immediately. These exercises are provided for educational information only.
Trying Medical Interventions At Your Doctor’s Office
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