Are you an endurance athlete who suffers from lateral knee pain? The Iliotibial band (ITB) may be the culprit. The ITB is a dense band of fibrous connective tissue arises from our glute and hip musculature, descends along the outer thigh to insert above and below the knee joint. As the knee flexes and extends the ITB lengthens and shortens. In endurance athletes (runners, cyclists) who perform this motion repeatedly, the repetitive motion can overload the ITB at its insertion to the thigh bone, resulting in pain and tenderness laterally on the knee and perhaps an audible clicking sensation.
If this sounds like you, try reducing the total volume of your training for 1-2 weeks and ice your knee after training. If your pain persists, you may require a mobility and strengthening program. For ITB friction syndrome, Physiotherapy is considered the best line of treatment to not only reduce your pain but improve overall athletic performance.
