Pain on the Outside of My Knee

Hi, after running about 45 minutes during a soccer game or touch football I get pain on the outside of my knee and cannot run any more. Once I have rested it's fine and no more pain. Any ideas...
Thanks
Nadene

Answer by Dominique:


Hi Nadene,
Thanks for your question about your pain on the outside of the knee.

It's always a bit tricky to diagnose knee pain. It's a complex part of the body.

However, pain on the outside of the knee is almost always related to an irritated iliotibial band.

This band is also referred to as the ITB and the problem you are having is called iliotibial band syndrome or ITB syndrome.

The iliotibial band runs along the outside of your leg. What could be happening (if this is indeed your ITB playing up), is that there is some friction between this band and the bones in your knee. Now you can imagine that if this friction / rubbing continues for long enough, the area becomes inflamed and that's when it is starting to hurt.

That's why this starts to become a problem after 45 minutes or so.

Most often you get ITB syndrome because you are overdoing your running. You see it happening a lot to new runners who want to do too much, too soon or people who run hills a lot.

In your case, if this is just the occasional game of touch football or soccer, then it might also be caused by your shoes. Question is whether you are getting sufficient support from your shoes or not.

Iliotibial band syndrome is best treated by resting and applying ice as a first-off. There are some good support products available like the Protec iliotibial band, which can really help.

Then work out what has caused this issue in the first place. If initial treatment does not work, then it is best to visit a doctor and get a referral to a sports physician. They can properly diagnose the whole situation and work out what the best course of treatment is.

For more information about this issue, check out the iliotibial band syndrome page.

Hope this helps.
Best of luck.
Kind regards,
Dominique