Almost always ITB friction syndrome. It produces a very specific pain just above the lateral knee, and it's usually triggered by a sudden spike in training load, switching to longer distances, or running a marathon without adequate preparation. I see it constantly.

The underlying biomechanics are nearly always the same combination: poor pelvic control, a tight TFL and ITB, weak Glute Med, weak VMO, and poor foot mechanics. Sometimes footwear is part of it too. Fix the mechanics and the friction stops.

Most people push through it until they're forced to stop. By the time they come and see me, they can't run at all. The treatment approach works through several things at once:

• Modify or temporarily rest from running to let it settle
  
• Trigger the Glute Med and TFL with a Pocket Physio MAX
  
• Roll the ITB with a Footeez
  
• Strengthen the glutes with Mini Bands
  
• Build core stability with a Posture Pro Dome
  
• Then address running mechanics because if the pattern that caused it doesn't change, it comes back.

Because netball is relentless on the lateral knee. The combination of jumping, landing, and sudden directional changes at high intensity loads the outside of the knee repeatedly, and without adequate conditioning, things start to break down.

The most common presentations I see in netball players are lateral meniscus tears, ITB friction syndrome, and superior tibiofibular joint sprains. That last one often gets missed. it's a sprain of the small joint just below the outside of the knee, caused by a twisting force with the knee in a bent position. Pain sits just below the knee rather than above it, which is how you tell it apart from ITB syndrome. AFL and volleyball players get it too for the same reasons.

Treatment for all three starts with rest and immobilisation to let the acute phase settle, then physical therapy to restore range, strength, and the lateral stability that protects the knee on return to sport.

Lateral meniscus tears, lateral collateral ligament injuries, and lateral tibial plateau fractures are all injuries I treat regularly. They're not everyday presentations but they're not rare either, and they almost always come with a clear history of trauma, usually a twisting or compression force through a loaded knee.

By the time most people reach me, they've already had imaging and a diagnosis. They're coming in either post-surgery or after a period of bracing, ready to start rehab.

Early rehab always follows the same sequence regardless of which of these injuries it is: restore knee range of motion, get quad control back first, then progress to hamstring and calf strengthening. From there the focus shifts to hip conditioning, core stability, ankle strength, and balance work - the full chain that the knee relies on to function safely under load.

A few golden rules that apply regardless of what the knee injury actually is:

1. Get on top of the swelling and pain first. Get an Ice Mate Pro and compression sleeve and use them often! You can't rehab a swollen, painful knee effectively.

2. Get the quads firing. This is the priority above everything else in early rehab. Without quad control your walking gait breaks down completely and everything else suffers. Work knee extension first.

3. Check the kneecap. Patellofemoral joint function is tied directly to quad recovery. Make sure it's moving freely and use taping if it needs support.

4. Restore knee flexion range. Work it gradually alongside your quad strengthening, not instead of it.

5. Release the hip and lateral chain. Roll the ITB with a Footeez or Foam Roller, and trigger the Glute Med, Glute Max, and TFL with a Pocket Physio MAX. Tightness here directly affects how the knee loads.

6. Stretch the posterior chain. Quads, hamstrings, and calves with a Stretchband Keep flexibility in the muscles above and below the joint.

7. Build hip and glute strength. Mini Band exercises for the glutes support knee alignment and take load off the lateral structures.

8. Add core stability. Posture Pro Dome work underpins everything. Without core stability the hip and knee can't control load properly.

One more thing worth saying: knee rehab is milestone-based, not timeline-based. Progress moves when the attributes improve - quads stronger, pain settling, range increasing, not because a certain number of weeks has passed. Don't let anyone rush you back before those boxes are ticked.