Intrinsic risk factors associated with iliotibial band syndrome: A systematic review

Abstract

Objectiveː Iliotibial band syndrome (ITBS) is the second most common running injury and the leading cause of lateral knee pain. Despite the numerous investigations on the subject, the intrinsic risk factors that may be involved in the syndrome have still not been highlighted and no consensus has been established in the literature. The objective of this systematic review is to investigate intrinsic risk factors associated with iliotibial band syndrome in order to provide an algorithm for future research and clinical guidance. Material and Methods: A systematic review of the literature was carried out according to the PRISMA guidelines, in the PubMed and ScienceDirect databases in order to identify studies investigating different parameters on patients with the syndrome since 2015; the date of the last systematic review on the subject. Resultsː Ten studies met the inclusion criteria of this review: cohort (n=1), cross-sectional study (n=8), case-control study (n=1). The results show that subjects with iliotibial band syndrome show atypical frontal plane kinematics in the hip and knee joint, a more prominent lateral femoral epicondyle, thickening of the iliotibial band, femoropatellar abnormalities and less resistance to fatigue of the gluteus medius muscle. Conclusionː This review offers opportunities in the management of ITBS. Some morphological, neuromuscular, muscle strength and biomechanical factors have been identified specific to ITBS patients. However, this work has several limitations; a small number of included studies, a lack of high-level studies, and methodological biases. Further studies, including randomized controlled trials and prospective studies are needed to reveal strong relationships between intrinsic risk factors and the onset of the syndrome.