Promising results from athroscopic surgery for IT band syndrome

PainSci » bibliography » Michels et al 2011
updated Mar 9, 2026

Tags: surgery, knee, IT band pain, running, etiology, treatment, classics, study_cohort, study_observational, invasive, medicine, anatomy, leg, limbs, thigh, pain problems, overuse injury, injury, runners knee, exercise, self-treatment, sports, tendinitis, pro, research, scientific medicine

One page on PainSci cites Michels 2011: The Complete Guide to IT Band Syndrome

PainSci commentary on Michels 2011: ?This page is one of thousands in the PainScience.com bibliography. It is not a general article: it is focused on a single scientific paper, and it may provide only just enough context for the summary to make sense. Links to other papers and more general information are provided wherever possible.

This is an update of a 2009 report (Michels) on a new surgical procedure for IT band syndrome: treating it by cleaning out irritated tissue from a small area under the IT band on the side of the knee, instead of cutting the IT band to loosen it. “Thirty-six patients (38 knees) had good or excellent results. All patients went back to sports after 3 months.” This compares extremely favorably with the conventional open surgery (i.e. Drogset et al). Not only are these promising results, but they have fascinating implications about the causes of IT band syndrome. For detailed analysis, see The Complete Guide to IT Band Syndrome.

(Although this study is an update to the 2009, it is not available or even indexed anywhere online. You can get a copy of the 2009 paper from ResearchGate.)

~ Paul Ingraham

original abstract †Abstracts here may not perfectly match originals, for a variety of technical and practical reasons. Some abstacts are truncated for my purposes here, if they are particularly long-winded and unhelpful. I occasionally add clarifying notes. And I make some minor corrections.

The iliotibial band syndrome(ITBS) is an overuse injury mainly affecting runners. The initial treatment is conservative. Only, in recalcitrant cases surgery is indicated. Several open techniques have been described. Newer studies question the pathogenesis of the ITBS. Based on these findings a new technique was developed.

Forty athletes (42 knees) with a resistant ITBS were treated with a standardized arthroscopic technique, limited to the resection of the lateral synovial recess.

Thirty-six patients (38 knees) had good or excellent results. All patients went back to sports after 3 months.

Our results show that arthroscopic treatment of resistant ITBS is a valid option with a consistently good outcome. In addition, this arthroscopic approach allows excluding or treating other intra-articular pathology.

original abstract †Abstracts here may not perfectly match originals, for a variety of technical and practical reasons. Some abstacts are truncated for my purposes here, if they are particularly long-winded and unhelpful. I occasionally add clarifying notes. And I make some minor corrections.

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