Why do I feel pain from hip to knee on the outside of my leg?

Your knees and hips are intricately connected by a series of nerves, ligaments, and tendons. A simple imbalance in your hip alignment or posture can strain your knee joints and increase your pain. In fact, a study showed that more than 11% of older people reported having a combination of both hip and knee pain at the same time. This dual pain could be caused by a variety of conditions, including: 

• Osteoarthritis.
• Sciatica. 
• Labral tear in the hip.
• Iliopsoas bursitis. 

Hip or knee pain alone can make even simple activities like getting up from a chair or walking difficult. When discomfort radiates from both of your joints at the same time, that difficulty can exponentially increase. However, none of these causes may be the source of your pain. In fact, the location of your hip to knee pain indicates that you may have a condition called iliotibial (IT) band syndrome.

Your pain’s location can help pinpoint its cause

Knowing the location of your pain can help medical experts determine its cause. For example, hip and knee pain that is concentrated on the outside of your leg is most often linked to IT band syndrome. This condition can cause pain to radiate pain from your hip to your knee along the outside of your leg, but it can also cause several other symptoms, too.

Knowing what causes IT band syndrome can help you take steps to begin your treatment quickly, which may include going to physical therapy. Physical therapists can help you find a treatment plan that eases inflammation in your IT band.  

What is the IT band?

The IT band is a long piece of connective tissue in your leg, and it runs from the side of your pelvis all the way to your shinbone. On its way from your hip to your knee, it presses against the outside of the thigh and skirts along the outside of your knee. As a result of this placement, IT band inflammation can be a likely cause of hip to knee pain on the outside of your leg. 

What causes IT band syndrome?

IT band syndrome is a common knee injury caused by overuse. Your IT band can become tight and irritated after repetitive movements, leading it to swell and rub against other tissue when you bend your knee. This friction can alter the way you carry yourself when you walk. While dealing with knee pain, you may overrely on other joints — especially your hips — to bear your body weight. However, you can further inflame your IT band at the side of your hip, making you feel hip pain as well as knee pain along the outside of your leg. 

What are common symptoms of IT band syndrome?

Symptoms of IT band syndrome can include: 

• Pain on the outside of your knee. 
• Feeling a snap or pop after moving your knee. 
• Pain that radiates from your knee to your hip, especially when moving or stretching. 
• Redness on the outside of your knee. 
• Achy or tender-feeling hips. 

Who can get IT band syndrome?

Runners are more likely to develop IT band syndrome because of their constant repetitive movements. You can also develop IT band syndrome if you sit for long periods of time. This is because inactivity can restrict blood flow to your leg and lead to the inflammation of your IT band. Additionally, IT band syndrome is more common for people whose legs are different lengths. In fact, just a slight length difference could put enough strain on the IT band to make walking painful. 

You can also experience IT band syndrome symptoms if you have weak quadriceps, which are the muscles located at the front of your thighs. Your quadriceps help your knee move and give it support. When your quadriceps are weak, more strain and weight is placed on the IT band. This stress can lead to overstretching, increased tension and pain. 

You can avoid IT band syndrome symptoms by warming up properly before exercise, wearing comfortable and supportive shoes, and using correct form when exercising. 

How can you treat hip and knee pain at the outside of your leg?

Dealing with pain that radiates from your knee to your hip along the outside of your leg doesn’t have to be part of your daily routine. Resting can help your knee heal and encourage your hip into alignment. If you’re an athlete, you should consider taking a break from training and practice until the IT band has a chance to heal. However, taking an active approach to your treatment plan can also help you feel less pain. Physical therapy exercises and stretches can be a great way to relieve tension and heal faster. 

The following physical therapy treatments can address IT band syndrome symptoms: 

• Stretches — When your IT band along the outside of your leg is tight, it can pull on surrounding tissue and lead to further inflammation in your knee and hip joints. Targeted stretches for the IT band can help relieve tension in the IT band itself as well as in its surrounding tissue.

• Exercises — Your physical therapist will give you exercises designed to reduce joint pain in both your knee and hip, as well as along the outside of your leg. While strengthening exercises can help repair weak tissue, range-of-motion exercises can help restore your mobilization and flexibility. You may also be given exercises designed to strengthen your core, lower back muscle groups and pelvic muscles to better support your hip joints.

• Custom modalities — You physical therapist can customize your treatment plan to your symptoms and try a variety of modalities to help relieve your pain. For example, manual therapy allows physical therapists to target tight soft tissue, such as the IT band, with their hands.

Advent Physical Therapy offers treatment plans for IT band syndrome

Our team at Advent Physical Therapy is ready to help you treat the pain from the hip to the knee on the outside of your leg that comes from IT band syndrome. First of all, we offer free screenings, and this service can help you make sure that this is the issue you’re dealing with. We also provide every patient with a personalized therapy plan, and your plan may include therapy techniques such as: 

• Manual therapy.
• Cupping.
• Instrument assisted soft tissue mobilization (IASTM).

Take the next step to get our help with your pain. Contact our team today for more information or to schedule an initial appointment.