Non-surgical Rehabilitation
Most cases of ITB syndrome can be treated with simple measures. When you begin your physiotherapy at Eastwood Physiotherapy, we will first use heat, ice, and ultrasound to help calm pain and inflammation.
During our physiotherapy program the problems that are causing your symptoms will be evaluated and treated. Our physiotherapist may use stretching and strengthening exercises, in combination with a knee brace, kneecap taping, or shoe inserts to improve muscle balance and joint alignment of the hip and lower limb. Your physiotherapist will probably ask you about your sport activities and may give you tips on your warm up and training schedule, footwear, and choices of terrain.
A key element of our treatment is examining your training schedule. Your physiotherapist can work with you to adjust the distance you run, your footwear, and the running surfaces you choose.
We may recommend foot orthotics to improve your foot and lower limb alignment. Wearing orthotics in your shoes may allow you to resume normal walking immediately, but you should probably cut back on more vigorous activities for several weeks to allow the inflammation and pain to subside.
Our physiotherapist will choose strengthening and stretching exercises to correct muscle imbalances, such as weakness in the gluteus medius muscle or tightness in the ITB.
Treatments such as ultrasound, friction massage, and ice may also be used to calm inflammation in the ITB. Our physiotherapy sessions sometimes include iontophoresis, in which our physiotherapist uses a mild electrical current to push anti-inflammatory medicine to the sore area. This treatment is especially helpful for patients who can't tolerate injections.
Although recovery time varies, if your treatment is nonsurgical, you should be able to return to normal activity within four to six weeks.
Post-surgical Rehabilitation
If you've undergone surgery, our physiotherapist will create a personalized plan for your rehabilitation. You will first have a period of rest, which may involve using crutches. Then we will start you on a careful and gradual exercise program.
At Eastwood Physiotherapy, our goal is to help you keep your pain under control, improve muscle and joint alignment, and return you to your sport or activity without additional problems. When your recovery is well under way, regular visits to our office will end. Although we will continue to be a resource, you will be in charge of doing your exercises as part of an ongoing home program.
Eastwood Physiotherapy provides services for physiotherapy in Edmonton.