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Iliotibial Band Syndrome
Iliotibial band syndrome is a common runner’s condition. Like many other possible
psychosomatic pain syndromes,
the condition can be caused by an actual physical process which sometimes creates painful symptoms. However, many patients diagnosed with the condition do not have painful ITBS, but are instead suffering from
psychosomatic pain
which has chosen to mimic the symptoms of the actual syndrome.What is Iliotibial Band Syndrome?The physical form of ITBS is a condition which causes knee and sometimes entire leg pain. Symptoms are also possible in the hip joint or below the knee as well. The pain is likely to be worsened by high impact activity, such as running, with short bursts of pain coming as the foot touches the ground. The psychosomatic form of the syndrome is identical in symptomology, but caused by oxygen deprivation of the tissues rather than any physical defect. Irregularities in the Iliotibial Band are not unusual and are rarely painful. However, an anatomical irregularity in the ITB gives the psycho-emotional form of pain increased medical credibility and provides a perfect scapegoat on which to blame the symptoms.Causes of Iliotibial Leg Pain SyndromeThe main causes of symptoms are running and other vigorous high impact sports and activities. Sometimes the activity actually causes the physical pain condition to appear, but more often, the activity simply acts as a convincing trigger for psychosomatic pain to begin. Pregnancy can also cause ITBS, as can the aging process. Some patients with a history of psychosomatic pain develop this condition as a back pain substitute symptom. Psychosomatic pain in the Iliotibial Band is most often caused by ischemia of the involved tissues.Treatments for Iliotibial Band SyndromeTherapy options for this common pain syndrome are mostly conservative and long lasting in nature. Combination treatments involving physical therapy and exercise therapy, dietary changes and lifestyle changes are the most common. Activity avoidance is a normal part of recovering from ITBS. This is a very difficult part of the syndrome for avid athletes. Anesthetic injections are often administered to patients with severe pain and surgery is considered for dire unresolved cases of ITBS.Recommendation on Iliotibial Band SyndromeActual physical cases of this pain syndrome are not very common. Most physical pain problems are usually successfully treated with appropriate therapies within a short time frame. Patients with long lasting ITB pain are most commonly suffering from the psychosomatic version of the condition. Unfortunately, this reality is rarely diagnosed and the patient is hopelessly thrown into a treatment program which WILL FAIL. Physical treatments will not cure a psychosomatic condition…If you have treatment resistant ITBS, consider the possibility that your pain might not have any physical basis at all. Iliotibial Band irregularities are not unusual and might be blamed for pain when all along the mind is the actual causation. I recommend trying knowledge therapy, since it has succeeded in curing this condition time and time again, when physical medical therapy modalities have failed.
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