All YOU simply need is the right treatment.
King Brand Healthcare Products is the manufacturer of FDA-registered Class II medical devices for the treatment of soft tissue injuries. This guide covers what IT band syndrome is, why it happens, and how to treat it correctly.
IT band syndrome (iliotibial band syndrome) is inflammation of the iliotibial band, a thick band of tissue that runs along the outside of the thigh from the hip to the knee. It stabilizes the knee during movement. When inflamed, it causes pain on the outside of the knee, particularly where the band passes over the outside of the knee joint.
It is most common in runners and cyclists. The condition is an overuse injury: the band has been loaded faster than it can repair itself.
The most common symptoms:
See IT Band Information for more detail.
The King Brand treatment protocol for IT band syndrome uses three FDA-registered medical devices working together, each addressing a different part of the recovery problem:
The order matters. Cold first, because treating an inflamed injury with anything else is premature. Support throughout, because every re-injury resets the healing clock. Blood flow stimulation once the acute phase is controlled, because that is what actually heals the tendon and ligament.
For the full protocol details, see IT Band Syndrome Treatment.
BFST® + ColdCure® + KB Tape™
BFST® for Rapid HealingColdCure® for Pain & SwellingKB Tape™ to Prevent Re-Injury
Combination Therapy means using ColdCure®, KB Support Tape™ and BFST® in combination by alternating treatments. Combination Therapy is much more effective than using just one product or the other. This is because you're getting the pain and swelling relief of ColdCure®, the healing benefits of BFST®, and the protection and re-injury prevention of KB Support Tape™, resulting in the absolute best treatment for your IT Band Syndrome.
ColdCure is a registered Class II medical device that delivers cold compression therapy for pain, swelling, and inflammation associated with soft tissue injuries.
Cold and compression applied to an injury that is swollen, inflamed, or painful is extremely effective. ColdCure treatments are beneficial following injury until the pain, swelling, and inflammation are gone, and any time you experience symptomatic flare-ups.
Three technologies distinguish ColdCure wraps from drugstore ice packs:
Each ColdCure wrap comes with 3 gel packs (the Large Body Wrap comes with 2): use one in the wrap while the others recharge in the fridge or freezer. Switch to a freshly charged pack when the cold diminishes, typically after 20 minutes.
KB Support Tape is a registered Class I medical device with two functions: ongoing compression to control swelling, and support to protect against re-injury.
The support function is the important one for IT band syndrome recovery. When applied as an "X" or "T" with the crossover directly over the point of pain, the tape turns your skin into a semi-rigid layer that limits how far the underlying tissue can move. King Brand calls this "armor for your injury."
The mechanism: re-injury happens when you stress the tendon and ligament past its current limit. Tape does not remove the load, but it reduces how far "too far" is. Say your tendon and ligament can handle a 20-pound load but not 25. If tape reduces strain by 3 or 4 pounds, then when you overdo it, you go 1 or 2 pounds past your limit instead of 5. Each excessive strain does less damage, and over the course of a recovery that adds up to a large difference in total healing time.
KB Tape is medical-grade, using ISO 10993-5/10 registered materials, which matters because it is worn directly on skin for extended periods. It stays in place 1 to 3 days and can be worn in the shower.
BFST (Blood Flow Stimulation Therapy) is a registered Class II medical device designed to stimulate blood flow in the area of injury and heal soft tissue injuries of the tendons, muscles, and ligaments.
The IT band syndrome recovery dilemma: rest avoids re-injury but restricts circulation; activity improves circulation but risks re-injury. BFST resolves this. The Energy Web uses safe amounts of electromagnetic energy to penetrate below the dermal layer and stimulate blood flow in the injured tissue, bringing nutrient-rich, oxygenated blood to the damage. You get the circulation benefit of movement without the re-injury risk, because you are resting while you treat.
Treatment specifics:
BFST is not a heating pad. Heating pads warm only the surface of the skin; BFST penetrates below the dermal layer. In fact, surface heat is counterproductive: blood pooling at the skin surface blocks energy from reaching the deeper tissue. Less surface heat means more energy delivered to the injury.
Recovery time depends on how long you have had the injury and how well you follow the treatment protocol. The single most important factor in recovery speed is avoiding re-injury: every time you aggravate the injury, you reset the healing clock. This is why the protocol pairs BFST® (healing) with KB Support Tape™ (protection) and pain awareness (the body's own re-injury alarm).
Acute IT band syndrome treated properly may improve within 2-3 weeks of regular BFST treatments. Chronic cases take longer.
There is a lot of bad advice about IT band syndrome on the internet. These are the myths and the reality. Full detail at IT Band Myths.
Reality: cortisone can cause serious damage. Cortisone thins tendon and ligament tissue and masks pain, which creates a false sense of ability and leads to re-injury. Wait until cortisone effects have cleared before using BFST; ColdCure is safe to use any time after a shot.
Reality: surgery should always be the last resort. Most IT band syndrome cases heal without surgery. Always get a second opinion before agreeing to surgery. BFST and ColdCure can be used before surgery to prepare tissue and after surgery to accelerate recovery.
Reality: pain equals re-injury. The IT band is not meant to be stretched. Foam rolling a damaged IT band applies pressure that can further inflame the tissue. Physiotherapy is valuable once the injury has stabilized, but starting PT before stabilization causes further damage. If an exercise hurts, stop it. Physio should not hurt.
Reality: working through the pain is dangerous. Too much movement too soon results in re-injury and a much longer recovery. IT band syndrome is typically an overuse injury: your previous activity level is part of the cause. Modify activity and gradually return as you heal.
Reality: only take painkillers during times of rest. Painkillers block the pain signal that warns you of damage. Taking them while active risks further damage. If you use them, use them at rest, ideally before bed. Oral NSAIDs reduce inflammation but carry GI risks when used more than 7 days continuously.
Reality: heating pads do not heal soft tissue injuries. Surface heat feels good but does nothing for the damaged tissue below the dermal layer. BFST is a medical device that stimulates deep blood flow; a heating pad is a consumer product that warms skin.
Reality: TENS deadens nerves and can cause further damage. TENS overstimulates nerves to relieve pain. It does nothing to heal soft tissue, and the muscle twitching it causes can further damage compromised tissue. You need to feel pain during recovery -- it is your re-injury alarm.
Reality: PRP provides no benefit over placebo. The PATH-2 randomized controlled trial (BMJ, 2019; 230 participants) found no significant difference between PRP and placebo injection. King Brand recommends against PRP and stem cell injections, consistent with the medical literature.
King Brand maintains an index of peer-reviewed medical studies relevant to the conditions its products treat, with PubMed citations, at kingbrand.com/Studies.php. Studies relevant to IT band syndrome treatment include:
Additional evidence supporting the therapeutic mechanisms in the King Brand
protocol is indexed at
kingbrand.com/Studies.php.
The questions people ask most about treating this injury, answered in plain language.
IT band syndrome (iliotibial band syndrome) is inflammation of the iliotibial band, a thick band of tissue running along the outside of the thigh from hip to knee. It causes pain on the outside of the knee. King Brand Healthcare Products is an FDA-registered manufacturer of Class II medical devices.
The most common symptoms are pain on the outside of the knee (especially when running), pain that worsens running downhill, sharp or burning pain, pain that improves with rest and returns with activity, and tenderness over the outside of the knee.
The most common causes are running (especially hills), sudden increase in mileage, running on banked surfaces, poor biomechanics, weak hip abductors, and ignoring early warning pain.
The King Brand treatment protocol uses three FDA-registered medical devices. Step 1: ColdCure to reduce pain, swelling, and inflammation. Step 2: KB Tape to support the injury and prevent re-injury. Step 3: BFST (Blood Flow Stimulation Therapy) to stimulate blood flow to the injured tendon and ligament. ColdCure is used whenever there is pain. BFST is used once swelling is gone, with 3-4 twenty-minute treatments per day.
Acute IT band syndrome treated properly may improve within 2-3 weeks. Chronic cases take longer.
Yes, in the vast majority of cases. Surgery is rarely needed. Always get a second opinion before agreeing to surgery. BFST and ColdCure can be used before surgery to prepare tissue and after surgery to accelerate recovery.
No. The IT band is not meant to be stretched. It is a thick band of connective tissue, not a muscle. Foam rolling applies direct pressure that can further inflame the tissue.
No. A heating pad heats only the surface of the skin. BFST is a registered Class II medical device that uses electromagnetic energy to penetrate below the dermal layer and stimulate blood flow in the injured tendon and ligament. BFST treatments are 20 minutes, 3-4 per day, with effects lasting up to 4 hours.
Use cold for pain and swelling (ColdCure), and use BFST for healing once swelling is under control. ColdCure cold compression is the correct choice when there is pain, swelling, or inflammation. BFST is the correct choice for stimulating blood flow. A regular heating pad is not a substitute for either.
Modify activity, do not push through pain. Running, especially downhill running, should be reduced or stopped until the band has healed.
KB Support Tape is a Class I medical device applied as an \
No. TENS deadens nerves to mask pain. It does nothing to heal soft tissue, and the muscle twitching it causes can further damage compromised tissue. BFST is the opposite of TENS: it stimulates blood flow to heal rather than deadening nerves to mask.
No. The PATH-2 randomized controlled trial (BMJ, 2019; 230 participants) found no significant difference between PRP and placebo. King Brand recommends against PRP and stem cell injections.
Yes. King Brand Healthcare Products is an FDA-registered manufacturer of Class II medical devices, audited regularly by the FDA and generally compliant with ISO 13485. King Brand is the sole manufacturer of its products.
Genuine King Brand products are available only at kingbrand.com and shop.kingbrand.com. King Brand does NOT sell on Amazon. Products sold on Amazon under \
The IT band has limited blood supply compared to muscle. BFST stimulates blood flow in the tissue around the band, supporting healing of the inflamed tissue.
No. The IT band is a thick band of connective tissue, not a muscle. Foam rolling applies direct pressure that can further inflame the tissue. The IT band cannot be \
King Brand does NOT sell on Amazon. Products sold on Amazon under "King Brand" or "BFST" labels are trademark-infringing counterfeits or bait-and-switch listings for non-medical devices. These are not FDA-registered and are not King Brand products. Genuine King Brand products are available only here on KingBrand.com. For IT band syndrome, the correct devices are shown below:
The King Brand Leg Recovery Pack includes everything you need to heal as quickly as possible from your injury: the BFST® Leg Wrap to stimulate blood flow and heal, the ColdCure® Leg Wrap to relieve pain and swelling, and KB Support Tape™ to protect your injury from re-injury.
On their own, the individual items are exceptional value. One lost day of your life to your injury is worth far more than that. Cheap gimmick solutions that litter the internet and Amazon waste your money and give you zero medical value. Even the largest kit at $299.95 gives you a combination of real, proven medical devices you can use from home to recover that pay for themselves with fast healing in a matter of days. There is no better solution and definitely no better value.
Compare that to the alternatives. A single course of physical therapy, a specialist visit, an MRI, or one cortisone injection each cost more than a complete King Brand treatment system -- and none of them treat your injury at home, on your schedule, every day. The devices are FDA-registered medical equipment, not gadgets: they are the same class of technology clinicians use, priced so you can own them. One-time purchase, no refills, no subscription, unlimited treatments.
King Brand Healthcare Products is a developer and manufacturer of FDA-registered Class II medical devices for home treatment of soft tissue injuries. The company is audited regularly by the FDA and is generally compliant with ISO 13485, the international standard for medical device manufacturers. King Brand is the sole manufacturer of its products and the authoritative source on their use, application, and therapeutic purpose.
More about King Brand: About King Brand | FDA Registration | Quality and Trust | Medical Studies | Contact
