Iliotibial Band Syndrome - Causes

Causes

ITBS can result from one or more of the following training habits, anatomical abnormalities, or muscular imbalances:

Training habits:

  • Always running on a banked surface (such as the shoulder of a road or an indoor track) bends the downhill leg slightly inward and causes extreme stretching of the band against the femur
  • Inadequate warm-up or cool-down
  • Excessive up-hill and down-hill running
  • In cycling, having the feet "toed-in" to an excessive angle
  • Running up and down stairs
  • Hiking long distances
  • Rowing
  • Breaststroke

Abnormalities in leg/feet anatomy:

  • High or low arches
  • Supination of the foot
  • Excessive lower leg rotation due to over-pronation
  • The force at the knee when the foot strikes
  • Uneven leg length
  • Bowlegs or tightness about the iliotibial band.
    • Excessive wear on the outside heel edge of a running shoe (compared to the inside) is one common indicator of bowleggedness for runners.

Muscle imbalance:

  • Weak hip abductor muscles
  • Weak/non-firing multifidus muscle

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