An arthroscopic technique to treat the iliotibial band syndrome
PainSci summary of Michels 2009?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 at the bottom of the page, as often as possible. ★★★★☆?4-star ratings are for bigger/better studies and reviews published in more prestigious journals, with only quibbles. Ratings are a highly subjective opinion, and subject to revision at any time. If you think this paper has been incorrectly rated, please let me know.
See the updated 2011 report, “The iliotibial band syndrome treated with an arthroscopic technique in 40 patients”.
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.
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. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the results of a standardized arthroscopic technique for treatment of a resistant ITBS. Thirty-six athletes with a resistant ITBS were treated with a standardized arthroscopic technique, limited to the resection of lateral synovial recess. Thirty-three patients were available for follow-up (mean 2 years 4 months). Thirty-two patients (34 knees) had good or excellent results. All patients went back to sports after 3 months. In two patients a meniscal lesion was found, which required treatment. One patient with only a fair result had associated cartilage lesions of the femoral condyle. 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.
related content
- “An arthroscopic technique to treat the iliotibial band syndrome,” an article in Knee Surgery, Sports Traumatology, Arthroscopy, 2009.
- “The iliotibial band syndrome treated with an arthroscopic technique in 40 patients,” an article in ScienceMED, 2011.
- “Treatment of recalcitrant iliotibial band friction syndrome with open iliotibial band bursectomy: indications, technique, and clinical outcomes,” an article in American Journal of Sports Medicine, 2009.
- “Surgical treatment of iliotibial band friction syndrome. A retrospective study of 45 patients,” an article in Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports, 1999.
These two articles on PainScience.com cite Michels 2009 as a source:
- PS Save Yourself from IT Band Syndrome! — All your treatment options for Iliotibial Band Syndrome reviewed in great detail, with clear explanations of recent scientific research supporting every key point
- PS Is IT Band Tendinitis Really a Tendinitis? — Recent research has clearly shown that the IT band itself is not the anatomy that gets inflamed, which has significant implications for treatment
