Hi all,

After punishing my body in various sports for the past 30+ years I'm starting to pay the price. Last year I took a tumble on a hard patch of ice whilst snowboarding and popped my left knee. NHS took x-ray which was clear and gave the usual brush off telling me to ice and rest with no follow-up. When the pain and swelling didn't go away my osteopath suggested I pay for an MRI - this showed a thickening of my ITB at the side of my knee. My Dr referred me to an OS and over the course of a year we tried stretching, ice, physio and cortisone shots - nothing seemed to help and having spent the entire football (soccer) season on the sidelines I was at my wits end.

My OS advised that a surgical release of my ITB was the only option left so I had the surgery 12 weeks ago; my OS came to see me in the recovery room and advised he'd only done a partial release as he "didn't want to butcher me but if it doesn't work he can have me back in and release the other half". I can see the logic he used but will be pretty fed up if he has to repeat the surgery.

I was sent on my way with a cheery wave - no follow up and no physio. He said 6-8 weeks and I should be able to get back to doing "everything I use to do"...............no chance! By week 9 I could manage 20 mins of static cycling before my knee swelled, there's no way I could run on it or kick a ball.

2 weeks ago I had shoulder surgery to repair a SLAP tear, this has limited my ability to exercise my knee and now I'm starting to get random swelling in the front of my knee around the arthroscopy incision. Until I can start running and changing direction I won't know if my ITB has released so its still a guessing game whether the surgery has worked and the swelling at the front of my knee is causing some concern - has anyone out there had ITB surgery and can offer words of advice.

The guy who did my knee surgery also did my shoulder so I can ask him about my knee at y next shoulder appointment. I've got my 1st shoulder PT tomorrow so will ask them about my knee too.

Can't say I've had any other surgery but shoulder, but would be safe in saying that any ortho surgery should warrant at least a few PT visits to be sure you know how to properly rehab and can control swelling. Swelling within the knee joint tends to inhibit quadriceps activation and if you don't ensure those muscle are firing properly, you could set yourself up for a more serious injury, such as ACL or meniscus tears. 12 weeks of swelling could definitely cause some inhibition in muscle activation, get it looked at.

If anything, be sure you try and get some PT appts for the knee as well as the shoulder.

MRI's are not perfect. Sometimes I wonder if they miss as much as they catch! Anterior swelling would not suggest an ITB issue as the ITB is on the lateral side of the knee by the time it makes it that far down. Thickening of the ITB takes a long time to develop so really was there even the day before you got hurt. It is not the reason for your pain and swelling.

What to do? You are left with either a repeat MRI (why did they not pay for the first one?) or diagnostic (converted immediately to repairative if pathology is seen) arthroscopy looking for any number of things that can and do go wrong but don't always show on an MRI. BTW, the indication for a lateral ITB release usually is associated with lateral knee and/or hip pain, involving at times, a "snapping ITB."

My other suggestion if you haven't already...invest in a foam roller. I swear by it! I use it everyday to roll out my ITB, quads, glutes and also lying over it to try and keep my T-spine mobile. It's one of the greatest investments I've made. I use to have problems with my ITB but a few roll outs on that and it got rid of it, not to mention hip stiffness.

I also use it to roll out my deltoids/triceps and anywhere else I can get enough pressure.