When it comes to being athletic, it is important to take care of your body. There are many sports, movements, and workouts that have risk factors for injuries. Any injury involving the knee can be detrimental to your athletic progress, but should be immediately cared for due to possible additional injuries. Many runners experience Iliotibial band syndrome at one point in their life. It is a frequent injury and often misunderstood.
What Is Iliotibial Band Syndrome?
This injury is an overuse of the connective tissues that are located on the outer thigh and the knee. The band runs along the outside of the thigh to the tibia. It is a stabilizer for the knee joint for flexing and extending. When inflammation is discovered, it moves around causing severe pain in that area. Movement of the knee is immediately restricted and needs to be well cared for.
Treatments
Like most injuries, the popular remedies are rest, ice, and elevation. In this world it is hard to understand the importance of resting and relaxation. Life gets so busy, and people overcomplicate the fact that taking time off is actually beneficial. When this type of injury happens first, doctors recommend taking the obvious precautions in hopes that the injury will heal quickly. If that doesn’t work, then there are other alternatives.
A chiropractor in San Diego utilizes other techniques to help with the healing process of the IT band. They use an active release technique during their patient’s visits. The patient will do specific movements while the chiropractor will apply deep pressure to help stretch and restore the muscles. It also helps to relieve the excessive tension that might be aggravating the IT band. After the initial pain has been relieved, at-home exercises are then implemented throughout a daily routine. Most of these exercises involve using a resistance band to once again strengthen the knees. Ending the exercises with a foam roller has proved to show vast improvement amongst recovering patients.