RUNNERS KNEE / ILIOTIBIAL BAND SYNDROME
Iliotibial Band Syndrome, often referred to as runners knee, is a friction based injury with pain occurring mostly at the side of the knee where the tendon rubs against the bony prominence of the femoral condyle. Often whilst running this friction causes inflammation of the tendon to the point of pain and irritation. This often causes the individual to cease their activity, whether it be walking or running. Tightening of the Tensor Fascia Lata muscle and Iliotibial bands are extremely common leading to a range of knee pain. You don’t have to be a runner to suffer from Runners knee. If you have flat feet, have one leg longer than the other, are pregnant or have some other biomechanical changes that have occurred in your body, this may be the cause for pain in the knee. We advise you to consult a medical practitioner with the required training and experience to diagnose the exact cause of the pain. Here at The Aark, we see and treat many people with Runners knee or knee pain.
WHAT PRACTITIONER AT THE AARK CLINIC SHOULD I SEE?
We recommend Osteopathic Treatment. An Osteopath will treat any biomechanical dysfunctions which may have led to the condition.
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AUTHOR: LLOYD TILNEY BOst PRINCIPLE OSTEOPATH AT THE AARK CLINIC
Why is Stretching so Important ???
Stretching after a workout should be an essential part of your routine but often stretching is neglected, especially at the end of a training session! When people do stretch, they often rush through their routine and do not get the full benefit for each one.
We stretch to improve our flexibility. Flexibility is the range of motion that is available to a joint or joints and is important because:
- It improves muscle balance around a joint, thus improving posture
- It reduces the chance of injury when playing a sport or in every day activities
- It increases the blood flow/drainage and nutrient supply to muscles and cartilage, thereby also reducing muscle soreness after training.
Stretching Correctly!
Stretching should not be done as a warm-up to an activity as you could injure your muscles if stretching them when they are cold. At least 3 to 5 minutes of cardiovascular training is recommended to warm up the muscles sufficiently. Each major muscle group should be stretched slowly and with control, holding each stretch for 1 to 3 sets of 15 to 60 seconds. Hold each stretch at the point of mild tension or tightness, not to the point of pain.
It is important to stretch after doing any physical activity. Lactic acid builds in the muscle and stretching aids the removal. When muscles perform any exercise, they tighten and shorten, stretching them out helps to restore and improve their length. When doing strength training, you could stretch each muscle group directly after performing each set.
Easy to follow routine:
These stretches are a great full body stretch that can be done in around 7-10 minutes. Including stretches into your daily routine will produce physical benefits without realising it, but just because we might not notice huge differences, thats not a reason to neglect them. Physical agility, balance, posture and fluid dynamics, to name but a few will all will be improved thus resulting in a healthier quality of life. JUNE 26, 2011
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