A research experiment carried out in 2004 investigated the effects of corticosteroid injection compared with a placebo injection into the knee on runners with ITBFS.
Results showed that there was a significant reduction in pain for the group who had had the cortisone injection compared with those who had had the placebo injection at 14 days post injection. This indicates that a corticosteroid injection decreases pain during running more so than placebo after 14 days in patients with ITBFS of recent onset.
Obviously this is positive news for those of us who suffer from ITBFS. Pain symptoms can be greatly reduced and allow us to return to our training regime sooner. It is important to keep in mind that a cortisone injection alone is not always the only solution and it must be remembered that biomechanical faults or inappropriate training programs may have been the cause of the ITBFS initially. These matters have to be addressed as well as the pain symptoms.
Please note: There may be side effects from cortisone for some individuals and to discuss these with your practitioner.
Gunter, P. & Schwellnus, M. (2004). Local corticosteroid injection in illiotibial band friction syndrome in runners: a randomized controlled trail. British journal of sports medicine, 38 pp269-272.
