Our collaborator Fisiopinar Clinic, tells us this time how this injury appears and what we can do to avoid it and treat it. The tensor muscle of the fascia lata It is a muscle located in the upper and lateral part of the thigh. It originates in the pelvis and is inserted into the lateral tuberosity of the tibia through its tendinofibrous part (Iliotibial band) that goes all over the lateral side of the thigh.
As an abductor, it works together with the gluteus medius and minimus, if one of them is inhibited, such as the gluteus medius, by a valgus knee or a foot in pronation, it can cause overload in the tensor fascia latae with activation of the trigger points, which can produce pain radiating to the vastus lateralis and the iliotibial band. In case of inhibition of the tensor fascia lata it could cause overload in buttocks and even the famous Ribbon syndrome Iliotibial
Sometimes it is associated with a knee varus that favors this friction. It is characterized by pain on the outside of the knee that sometimes even extends to the lower edge of the patella and that appears progressively during running and often makes the athlete stop.
There are many factors, apart from the anatomical ones, that can help cause the appearance of this injury, such as wearing worn or inappropriate footwear, increasing training abruptly, running on very hard or even too soft surfaces or running races with a lot of slope, especially with steep descents
The tensioner may also be involved in an alteration of the posture which may cause an increase in the lumbar lordosis and possible discomfort of the lower back. For this reason it is very important to stretch it before and after the race and strengthen it properly.
It is inevitable that the athlete ceases his activity and returns in a progressive and adequate manner.
If therapy with physiotherapy does not work, we recommend going to your orthopedic surgeon to assess infiltration with corticosteroids or even if there is no improvement, surgical intervention with lateral incision on the external femoral condyle and lengthening of the tendon so that there is no more friction.
Further information: http://clinicafisiopinar.com/
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