The outside of the knee hurts when I press it

If you are not careful while running, it is easy to get injured, especially the knees. We would think that the pain will recover after a few days of rest, but for some people, it will hurt when pressed and the pain remains after resting for a period of time. This may be iliotibial band syndrome. Since the blood flow to that area is not particularly large and it is difficult to stretch, it is difficult to heal on its own even if you do not exercise for a long time. Here we provide some tips to relieve pain and reduce pressure on your knees.

Iliotibial band syndrome, abbreviated as ITBS, is the most common injury in running and also the least understood injury among runners. The iliotibial band is a band of connective tissue on the outside of the thigh that connects the hip and tibia (as shown in the figure below). Its main function is to maintain knee stability when running. When running, as the knee bends and extends, the iliotibial band and the lateral epicondyle of the femur rub excessively, causing ligament or bursa inflammation. Increasing your mileage too quickly and too much can lead to inflammation of the IT band, a problem that can also occur when running on arched surfaces.

If you experience pain on the outside of the knee while running, it can basically be diagnosed as iliotibial band syndrome (of course there are other possibilities, so you should carefully look at the symptoms to see if they apply to you. Of course, it is best to have a professional evaluate you).

Follow these 4 steps to relieve the pain.

①Ice your knee first

Many professional athletes ice their injured areas after training or competition, so you can't go wrong by following their lead. The main principle is: Ice compress causes local blood vessels to constrict and reduce blood circulation, thereby reducing tissue metabolism rate and inhibiting inflammation.

Applying ice immediately after an injury is the most effective, as it can reduce tissue trauma and speed up tissue repair.

It is best to use an ice-water mixture, like the "iced drink" sold in KFC. If you don't have it, cold water will do. However, the ice application time should not be too long.

②Stretch the iliotibial band

The knees are forced to bend inward, which naturally stretches the iliotibial band. This move can also be used for stretching after a run.

③Foam roller massage

If you don't have a foam roller, use a tennis ball. If you don't have that either, use your fist or a mineral water bottle to rub the outside of your thigh up and down vigorously. It will relieve the pain in a few minutes.

④ Complete rest

Scientific research has found that runners with iliotibial band syndrome generally have weaker hip abductor muscles. Because the muscles connected to the IT band have to take over for the weak hip abductors and help keep the hips level, the IT band is overworked and stressed. This condition is often more severe when going uphill. In layman's terms, it means that a certain part of the leg is not strong enough and the iliotibial band is needed to increase its bearing capacity. So if the iliotibial band is overused, it will of course rub against the outside of the knee bone and cause pain. Therefore, if the underlying problem is not resolved, the injury will not go away, and if you want to fully recover from iliotibial band syndrome, you must develop good hip strength. Today I will introduce a set of exercises to you, which can strengthen your hips and keep you away from iliotibial band syndrome completely, while also preventing other knee injuries.