Overuse and inflexibility can shorten the ITB, causing hip and knee pain. Many runners attempt to counteract this with the ITB stretch shown here. But because it stresses the leg and back muscles, this stretch has the opposite effect. [runnersworld.com]

Epidemiology Frequency United States ITBS is the most common cause of lateral knee pain in runners. [emedicine.com]

Iliotibial Band Anatomy Iliotibial band syndrome is one of the most common causes of knee pain among runners. [rothmanortho.com]

Abstract Lateral knee pain in athletes is commonly seen in the sports medicine clinic, and the diagnosis of iliotibial band (ITB) syndrome is frequently made. [ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]