Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
Your IT band is supposed to help you run…not the other way around.
A 2015 study from Eng and colleagues found the human IT band stores 15 to 20 times more elastic energy per unit body mass than a chimp's fascia lata. We evolved this thing for a reason.
But sometimes I coach runners to load it less. When pain shows up at the outer knee, cues to stop a crossover pattern reduce strain on that area. Notice I said stop the crossover, not run wide. Your natural step width is already close to optimal, and going wider than that costs you energy.
Some honest context on the evidence here.
Pain coming from a irritated fat pad in runners with IT band syndrome is the most likely theory at this time. However, it is important to also understand that pain is multi factorial and can also be caused by other factors.
Another is that we see that narrow steps increase modeled IT band strain and tibial stress, but nobody has measured this strain in a living runner, and no study has followed runners over time to show a narrow step pattern predicts injury. Actually, the big prospective studies show running form in general is a poor predictor of who gets injured. Injury comes down to a more likely scenario of load versus what your tissues can tolerate.
So I don't use form to predict injuries. I use it as a lever. Once something hurts, changing how you load it is one of the tools that can calm it down.
Studies referenced: Eng et al 2015, Meardon et al 2012, Meardon & Derrick 2014, Fairclough et al 2006, Arellano & Kram 2011, Messier et al 2018, Ceyssens et al 2019
Ever dealt with outer knee pain when running? I am curious what worked best for you?
Your IT band is supposed to help you run…not the other way around.
A 2015 study from Eng and colleagues found the human IT band stores 15 to 20 times more elastic energy per unit body mass than a chimp's fascia lata. We evolved this thing for a reason.
But sometimes I coach runners to load it less. When pain shows up at the outer knee, cues to stop a crossover pattern reduce strain on that area. Notice I said stop the crossover, not run wide. Your natural step width is already close to optimal, and going wider than that costs you energy.
Some honest context on the evidence here.
Pain coming from a irritated fat pad in runners with IT band syndrome is the most likely theory at this time. However, it is important to also understand that pain is multi factorial and can also be caused by other factors.
Another is that we see that narrow steps increase modeled IT band strain and tibial stress, but nobody has measured this strain in a living runner, and no study has followed runners over time to show a narrow step pattern predicts injury. Actually, the big prospective studies show running form in general is a poor predictor of who gets injured. Injury comes down to a more likely scenario of load versus what your tissues can tolerate.
So I don't use form to predict injuries. I use it as a lever. Once something hurts, changing how you load it is one of the tools that can calm it down.
Studies referenced: Eng et al 2015, Meardon et al 2012, Meardon & Derrick 2014, Fairclough et al 2006, Arellano & Kram 2011, Messier et al 2018, Ceyssens et al 2019
Ever dealt with outer knee pain when running? I am curious what worked best for you?
