Why Males and Females Should Treat Knee Pain Differently
The origin of knee pain may be dependent on your gender. So, what does this mean for men and women who struggle with IT band friction syndrome?
Ben Greenfield
Iliotibial band friction syndrome (also known as IT band friction syndrome)—a painful condition on the outside of your knee or hip that often occurs after running or cycling—is the bane of exercise enthusiasts everywhere. But interestingly, it turns out that the origin of this type of knee or hip pain can actually be dependent on your gender.
A study recently published in the Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports compared 48 runners with IT band friction syndrome to 48 healthy runners. The women with knee or hip pain showed a greater amount of hip rotation compared to the healthy, uninjured women. But for men, the results differed. The injured male runners had greater ankle rotation, not greater hip rotation. In another study published in Physical Therapy in Sport, research found that women with knee pain had weaker hips than healthy women, whereas men with knee pain had weaker knees.
So, what exactly does this mean? Here’s the deal: if you’re a woman who struggles with knee pain or IT band friction syndrome from exercising, running, or cycling, you may want to take a good look at your hip mechanics, specifically by:
- Seeing a sports chiropractor to have your sacroiliac joint looked at;
- Doing foam rolling and deep tissue exercises on your hip and butt area; or
- Doing hip opening stretches for the front, side, and back of your hips.
But if you are a man who struggles with this same type of pain, you may not want to look at your hips, but instead at your knees and ankles, specifically by:
- Paying attention to your vastus medialis muscle (VMO) and doing specific strengthening exercises for this notoriously weak link in the knees;
- Doing ankle mobility and ankle stretching exercises to improve the function of your ankle; or
- Strengthening your feet by using correct shoes and even doing barefoot or minimalist shoe exercises.
If you have more questions about how males and females should treat knee pain differently, then head over to Facebook GetFitGuy and ask your questions or join the conversation there!
Knee pain image courtesy of Shutterstock.
About the Author
Ben Greenfield received bachelor’s and master’s degrees from University of Idaho in sports science and exercise physiology; personal training and strength and conditioning certifications from the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA); a sports nutrition certification from the International Society of Sports Nutrition (ISSN), an advanced bicycle fitting certification from Serotta. He has over 11 years’ experience in coaching professional, collegiate, and recreational athletes from all sports, and as helped hundreds of clients achieve weight loss and fitness success.