Adventure Physiotherapy

Pain on the outside of the knee may be IT band syndrome 🏃‍♀️🦵
Iliotibial Band Syndrome (ITBS) is one of the most common causes of outer knee pain, especially in runners, cyclists, and athletes who do repetitive leg movements. The pain is usually felt on the outside of the knee and often worsens with running, stairs, or downhill walking. Recent evidence suggests it is more related to compression and load sensitivity than simple “friction.”

⚠️ What You Might Notice

Sharp or burning pain on the outside of the knee 🔥

Pain during running, stairs, or downhill walking

Symptoms that begin after a certain distance or time ⏱️

Tightness along the outside of the thigh

Discomfort with cycling or repetitive knee bending 🚴

🤝 Our Whole-Body Clinical View

We don’t only focus on the painful knee. The IT band is part of a full movement chain connecting the pelvis, hip, thigh, and knee. How the hip muscles control the leg, how the pelvis stays stable, and how the foot absorbs force all influence the stress placed on the outside of the knee. Research strongly supports that hip strength, movement control, and load progression are key parts of recovery. Current evidence also suggests that trying to “stretch the IT band” itself is less helpful than improving how the whole lower limb manages force.

If outer knee pain is limiting your running, training, or walking, there are very effective physiotherapy strategies that can help
✨ Come see us — we’ll help you understand what is overloading the outside of your knee.
Follow our page for trusted physiotherapy education, and feel free to send us a DM if this is something you’re dealing with.

Pain just below the kneecap when jumping or landing may be jumper’s knee 🦵
Jumper’s knee, also called patellar tendinopathy, is common in sports that involve repetitive jumping, sprinting, and sudden direction changes — like volleyball, basketball, soccer, and track. It often develops gradually from repeated load on the tendon rather than a single injury.

⚠️ What You Might Notice

Pain just below the kneecap during jumping or landing 🏀

Discomfort with stairs, squats, or running

Morning stiffness around the front of the knee

Pain that warms up during activity but returns later 🔄

Tenderness when pressing on the tendon

🤝 Our Whole-Body Clinical View

We don’t only focus on the painful tendon. The patellar tendon is part of a full force-transfer chain involving the foot, ankle, calf, quadriceps, hips, pelvis, and trunk control. When jumping volume, landing mechanics, or training load increase faster than the body can adapt, the tendon may become overloaded. From this perspective, a jumper's knee is often a load-capacity mismatch, not simply “inflammation.” Evidence strongly supports progressive tendon loading, isometric pain-relief exercises, and gradual return-to-sport progression as the main physiotherapy approach.

If knee pain is limiting your sport or training, the good news is tendons respond well to the right loading strategy
✨ Come see us — we’ll help you rebuild tendon strength and return to sport safely.
Follow our page for trusted physiotherapy education, and feel free to send us a DM if this is something you’re dealing with.