The quadriceps is the large muscle at the top of your thigh that helps you elevate your leg. Keeping it in place is a tendon known as the illiotibial band, which stretches from the hip down the thigh, across the knee and attaches at the tibia, or shinbone. Overuse, especially from running and cycling, may irritate this long tendon, the ITB, and cause it to swell and become painful.