5 Physical Therapy Tips to Help Knee Pain

Whether you deal with knee pain while running, walking, going up and down stairs, or just deal with day to day aches and pains, physical therapy can help eliminate the need to take prescription drugs and get you back to your favorite activities. Here are 5 easy tips to decrease your knee pain: 1. Strengthen your glutes Weak hips and poor motor control (coordination) can lead to added forces placed on your knee joint. Weak glutes in particular can also lead to poor pelvic positioning. These changes in mechanics can lead to overuse injuries and more traumatic injuries like ACL tears. Glute...

What is IT Band Syndrome, and How Can I Treat It?

Iliotibial Band Syndrome (ITBS) is one of the most common overuse injuries among runners, but what exactly is it? The IT Band (ITB) is a long, thick, fibrous band that runs along the outside of your leg. It starts at your pelvis and ends right below your knee. Athletes like runners or cyclists that flex and extend their knee repetitively can develop pain on the outside of their knee because of the friction between the ITB and their knee. If you have weak hip muscles, particularly the gluteus medius, you are increasing susceptible to suffering this kind of injury. Other factors like pronated...