If you might have tight iliotibial (IT) bands, stretching looks like the logical answer. But coping with IT band syndrome, which accounts for 22 % of accidents to the decrease extremities, just isn’t so easy; most “IT band stretches” don’t even goal the IT band.
Here’s what it is best to find out about relieving IT band tightness and what causes it within the first place.
What Is the IT Band?
The IT band, or iliotibial tract, is a bit of fascial tissue that runs alongside the skin of the hip and thigh. It begins on the ilium (pelvis) and ends on the tibia within the decrease portion of the leg.
According to Dr. Theresa Marko, PT, DPT, MS, OCS, board-certified orthopedic medical specialist in bodily remedy and proprietor of Marko Physical Therapy, PLLC, in New York City, the IT band has an necessary, multi-faceted job.
“It helps to support your pelvis and your hip during activities like walking, running, and going up and down stairs so that your leg and knee stay aligned with your hip and that your knee doesn’t fall in towards the other knee,” she says.
“It also has a huge role in helping the knee to flex/bend and extend/straighten. The lower portion of the IT band changes its function with literally every step we take, helping to straighten and bend the knee,” Marko provides.
How to Stretch the IT Band
It’s not unusual, particularly amongst athletes and energetic individuals, for the IT band to really feel painfully tight, which might even trigger ache within the outer knee. So what are the perfect IT band stretches?
Technically, there aren’t any, says Lauren Lobert Frison, DPT, OMPT, CSCS, proprietor of APEX Physical Therapy in Brighton, Michigan. “Your IT band is not contractile tissue, like muscle is,” she explains. “Any IT band stretches you find are really just impacting the tensor fascia latae (TFL) muscle,” she says. Located within the hip, the TFL is a small muscle to which the IT band connects.
To stretch and goal the TFL muscle, Marko recommends the standing facet bend.
Standing facet bend
- Stand along with your toes about hip-width aside. Lift your arms straight overhead, and cross your left ankle over your proper.
- Push your hips to the left and bend your higher physique to the suitable. Hold for 30 seconds.
- Come again by means of the middle. Release the stretch, and uncross your legs.
- Repeat on the alternative facet.
You have the choice to carry out standing facet bend pose subsequent to a wall for steadiness.
IT band therapeutic massage
Instead of IT band stretches, Marko recommends tissue mobilization or therapeutic massage for tight IT bands. “You want to loosen the fibers of the IT band, so it stops being so taut and pulling so hard on your bones,” she says.
A bodily therapist can administer therapeutic massage, use a therapeutic massage gun, or carry out cupping, however you may also do self-myofascial launch utilizing a foam curler, therapeutic massage stick, or Marko’s favourite self-massage software: the tennis ball.
“A tennis ball is a nice size and pressure, acting like an elbow being pressed in,” she says.
To therapeutic massage your IT band and the encircling tissues, lie in your facet and place a tennis ball between your IT band and the ground. Relax as a lot as you possibly can, permitting the tennis ball to “melt” your tissues. Slowly work your approach down the IT band by barely adjusting the tennis ball’s place.
Side-lying leg raise
Stretching and therapeutic massage can assist relieve the signs of a decent IT band, however if you wish to stop IT band ache, it is advisable to tackle the underlying concern.
Again, a bodily therapist can present an individualized evaluation, nevertheless it’s frequent for individuals with tight IT bands to have weak gluteus medius muscle mass. The side-lying leg raise can assist strengthen this portion of the glutes.
- Lie in your facet along with your hips stacked on prime of one another. Use your backside arm to prop up your head and your prime arm to assist preserve steadiness.
- Roll ahead barely and place the underside leg a couple of inches behind you.
- Lift the highest leg 45 levels. “More than that, you are using your back muscles to do the lifting,” Marko says.
- Hold for one second earlier than decreasing the leg. Complete all reps on one facet earlier than switching sides.
What Causes a Tight IT Band?
The IT band helps stabilize the hip and knee throughout actions like strolling, operating, and climbing. When the muscle mass across the hip and/or knee are usually not pulling their weight in these actions, the IT band picks up the slack, inflicting it to tighten. So incorporating energy coaching — particularly glute-targeted strikes — can assist relieve ache or discomfort.
Walking or operating in worn-out soles might contribute to your tight IT bands, so it helps to exchange your athletic footwear commonly.
And should you’re coaching for an endurance occasion, drastic spikes in actions like operating and biking can set off IT band tightness and ache. Take a gradual method to rising your mileage, and your physique will thanks.