What is the iliotibial band stretch?

Nowadays, many people have the habit of running. When running on the sports field, they will experience pain on the outside of the knee. In severe cases, it will affect normal walking. The iliotibial band is the main culprit for this pain. Therefore, before running or doing other exercises, you must remember to stretch the iliotibial band to avoid knee pain. So what is the correct way to stretch the iliotibial band?

How to stretch the iliotibial band:

1. Lie on the ground, use a belt, rope or elastic band to wrap around one foot, use a fitness band to pull the leg to the other side of the body, keep the leg straight, and cross it over the other leg. This will be the starting position.

2. Keep your foot off the ground and continue to pull the fitness band with just enough force to slightly lift the instep of your foot. Hold for 10 to 20 seconds, then repeat with the other leg.

The iliotibial band is composed of dense and tough connective tissue. The iliotibial band is composed of a thinner outer layer of circular fibers and an inner layer of thicker longitudinal fibers that run vertically from top to bottom. The circular fibers are arranged from front to back. The inner layer of longitudinal fibers of the iliotibial band between the upper edge of the patella and the tensor fasciae latae has small fibers that interweave with the muscle fibers of the deep muscles from bottom to top. Therefore, when cutting the iliotibial band and separating it from its deep muscles, it should be peeled off from bottom to top to avoid tearing and damage of the deep muscle fibers when separating from top to bottom, causing bleeding and making the inner surface of the iliotibial band rough. The fibers of the iliotibial bundle located below the upper edge of the patella are shaped like a crow's claw, and terminate at the surface of the patella, the patellar ligament, and the lateral tibial tubercle. From the lateral tibial tubercle, they extend forward to the tibial tuberosity and downward and posteriorly to the fibular head. Some deep fibers terminate at the knee joint capsule at the lateral femoral condyle. The termination points of each bundle are tightly attached to the periosteum. It can be seen from this that the attachment point of the iliotibial band is not local to the lateral tibial tubercle, and its attachment range is wider and the area is larger, which determines that its lower end fixation effect and tensile resistance effect are stronger.

Related diseases:

Iliotibial band friction syndrome:

The iliotibial band originates from the anterior and lateral side of the iliac crest and runs along the lateral side of the thigh. Its distal part crosses the lateral condyle of the femur and ends at the anterior tibia.

The wider part of the quadratolateral surface (i.e., Gerdy's tubercle of the tibial tubercle). The iliotibial band is part of the superficial layer of the posterolateral knee complex.

A power device to enhance the posterolateral stability of the knee joint. Its main function is to flex the knee during knee joint movement and cooperate with the static device

It limits tibial external rotation and knee varus, and enhances the stability of the posterolateral side of the knee joint. The iliotibial band is a deep fascial structure of the thigh, composed of dense and tough connective tissue, which can be divided into the superficial layer, deep layer and membrane bony layer. The superficial layer is the main tendinous layer of the iliotibial band

The superficial layer of the iliotibial band is rarely injured and can serve as a good reference point for the lateral structures of the knee.

The injury is usually avulsed at the tibial insertion; the deep layer of the iliotibial band continues in the coronal plane and attaches to the lateral intermuscular septum of the distal femur.

Iliotibial Band Friction Syndrome (ITBFS) is mainly caused by excessive exercise and improper sports training. It is common in long-distance runners, rugby players, cyclists and other athletes and enthusiasts, dancers, soldiers and other athletes. The most common injury is caused by the lateral side of the knee joint due to running (also known as runner's knee, with an incidence of about 5% to 14%, and is the second leading cause of knee pain in runners).

[1] Clinically, the main symptom is pain or discomfort above and below the lateral condyle of the knee joint (most obvious when the knee is flexed 20 to 30 degrees). It is sometimes difficult to differentiate from injuries of the adjacent lateral collateral ligament, lateral meniscus, biceps femoris tendon, popliteal tendon, etc. based on symptoms alone.

[2] MRI has good soft tissue resolution and can easily evaluate normal or diseased iliotibial band and other knee joint lesions, which has obvious advantages in the diagnosis of this disease.

Clinical treatment: After a clear diagnosis, emphasis is placed on arranging rest properly until the symptoms are alleviated or disappear. In the initial stage, cold compress the knee to relieve inflammation, and then apply Chinese medicine externally to promote blood circulation, remove blood stasis, reduce swelling and dredge the meridians. Those with more severe pain should take nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. During the recovery period, stretching exercises should be performed on the iliotibial band, quadriceps, hamstrings, and gluteal muscles. Appropriate shoes should be worn to avoid walking on uneven surfaces and slopes. After follow-up after the above treatment, most symptoms improved after 3 to 6 weeks of treatment.