Iliotibial Band Lengthening: An Arthroscopic Surgical Technique

Iliotibial (IT) band syndrome is a common cause of lateral knee pain in runners and cyclists. Many can be treated nonoperatively; however, some may require surgical lengthening of their IT band to achieve optimal pain relief and a return to preinjury level of activity. Several studies have been published detailing surgical lengthening procedures and satisfactory outcomes after these procedures. However, it is important to continue to improve on and optimize outcomes. We present our arthroscopic IT band-lengthening procedure.