Mary Kneiser and iliotibial band friction syndrome

Iliotibial band friction syndrome has long been acknowledged as one of the most common lower extremities injuries in long distance runners. Physical medicine and rehabilitation experts, such as Mary Kneiser helps in developing rehabilitation regimens for athletes who have iliotibial band friction syndrome or “runner’s knee.”

Mary Kneiser Photo Credit: Medicmagic.net

The condition is caused by repetitive movement of the Iliotibial band, a thick band of fibers running from the hip region to the outer thigh region. When a runner performs continuous unbalanced exercises or activities, such as running only on one side of an uphill road or running in one direction on track, this causes the pelvis to tilt to one side, putting stress on the iliotibial band on the knee. Factors that may lead to incurring iliotibial band syndrome injuries include:

Mary Kneiser Photo Credit: running4women.com

• Overuse syndrome
• Sudden and abrupt physical activities, and increase in training intensity
• Overtraining
• Ill-timed return from injuries
• Faulty biomechanics or movement
• Training flaws

Mary Kneiser and other physiatrists state that there are non-surgical alternatives for treating or alleviating the symptoms of this condition. These include:

• Alteration of warm-up regimens
• Using exercise machines that produce less stress on the iliotibial band
• Using addition heel lifts to compensate for leg length discrepancies
• Cessation or limitation of certain activities

Mary Kneiser Photo Credit: www.remedies-for-natural-health.com

To avoid incurring this type of injury, runners should carefully choose their running shoes, and take time to properly stretch the leg muscles prior to engaging in long distance runs. It is also advised to rectify any training errors to negate possibilities of either exacerbating the injury, or to avoid incurring it.

For more information about Mary Kneiser, log on to www.abilityassessments.com.