Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 56, March 2014 | Page 30

Body Science

Battle
of the
Band
– BY LAUREN VAN DER VYVER

T

he ITB is a thick band of fibrous tissue that runs
from the outside of the hip down to the knee, attaching
itself into the knee-cap, shinbone and biceps femoris
tendon (the back thigh muscle). ITB pain is often felt
by runners on the outside of the knee during training,
but the injury can be a little deceptive, because the
pain disappears once you stop running. According to
Johannesburg-based physio Toni Hesp, a veteran of many
Comrades and Ironman events, “as the knee bends and
straightens while running, the band is believed to make
contact with the bony protuberance on the outside of
the thigh bone. This repeated movement of the band
backward and forward creates inflammation, resulting in
pain.”
Runners can be a stubborn bunch, though, and too
often we ignore the signs when ITB flares up, so minor
inflammation can soon progress into sharper, more
localised discomfort, says Toni, and eventually the area will

become too inflamed with severe pain to maintain your
training. “It can start earlier in the running session until
it becomes debilitating and forces the runner to stop,
and it’s generally exacerbated by downhill running. If
the area becomes very inflamed, it can take a day or
two for the pain to disappear completely, even while
walking.” Also, if you continue your session in spite of
the pain, it may result in a longer recovery period being
needed.

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THE CAUSES
ITB pain is more prevalent in novice runners who are
tackling long distance running for the first time and
predominately occurs during peak training periods.
Frequent high-impact downhill running is definitely a
factor, and often, there’s an associated increase in pace
with the introduction of speed sessions to the training
programme.
A pre-existing ITB tightness can introduce itself over
and over again – even in seasoned runners – and the
condition can also be compounded by a weakness of
knee e