Iliotibial band syndrome (ITBS) is a common injury in runners and other long distance athletes with the best management options not clearly established. This review outlines both the conservative and surgical options for the treatment of iliotibial band syndrome in the athletic population. Ten studies met the inclusion criteria by focusing on the athletic population in their discussion of the treatment for iliotibial band syndrome, both conservative and surgical. Conservative management consisting of a combination of rest (2–6 weeks), stretching, pain management, and modification of running habits produced a 44% complete cure rate, with return to sport at 8 weeks and a 91.7% cure rate with return to sport at 6 months after injury. Surgical therapy, often only used for refractory cases, consisted of excision or release of the pathologic distal portion of the iliotibial band or bursectomy. Those studies focusing on the excision or release of the pathologic distal portion of the iliotibial band showed a 100% return to sport rate at both 7 weeks and 3 months after injury. Despite many options for both surgical and conservative treatment, there has yet to be consensus on one standard of care. Certain treatments, both conservative and surgical, in our review are shown to be more effective than others; however, further research is needed to delineate the true pathophysiology of iliotibial band syndrome in athletes, as well as the optimal treatment regimen.

Hibernomas are rare benign soft tissue tumors that are included in the broad spectrum of lipomatous neoplasms. The tumors are derived of brown fat, and the clinical and imaging presentation can mimic other neoplastic conditions. We discuss a 20-year experience at a single academic institution to define the clinical presentation, imaging, and management of these rare neoplasms. A retrospective review of all cases of histologically proven hibernoma over a 20-year period was performed. Clinical presentation, demographics, radiologic reports and images, and pathology reports were all reviewed and collected. We identified 19 cases of hibernoma. The clinical presentation and radiographic characteristics are presented. Our findings also demonstrated that local recurrence of these benign soft tissue tumors was rare, and local recurrence was only documented in one of the 19 cases, which was most likely due to inadequate initial resection rather than true recurrence. Hibernomas are composed of brown fat, in which the imaging can be misleading. Once diagnosed, surgical resection is usually curative.

The overall prevalence of isolated meniscal pathology in asymptomatic athletes was 31.1 % (27.2 % with intrasubstance meniscal damage and 3.9 % with a meniscal tear). More studies of age-comparable, non-athletic populations are necessary for direct comparison with these groups.

No abstract