We touched on iliotibial band (ITB) issues the other day, particularly in relation to knee pain in runners and cyclists.
However these aren’t the only people affected by ITB issues, those in sedentary roles can also suffer, and it seems the ‘go to’ treatment for everyone is to perform self massage / self fascial release on the ITB, usually with some form of hard or knobbly roller, which tends to be extremely uncomfortable!
Modern research has shown not only is an incredible amount of force required to stretch the ITB (around 1 tonne is required to cause a 1% stretch), but it’s actually not all that good for you when done in such a fashion.
In clinic I do typically see an overactive ITB, (or at least some of it is), compensating for either an under active tensor fascia latae, or gluteus maximus.
After confirmation with suitable testing, we can pin point the exact portion(s) of the ITB which need to be released, GENTLY, and then activate its compensatory pair to get things working back as they should do.
It’s important we do the testing, rather than just guessing at what’s going on, because assessment of the tight ITB may lead to findings of compensations or injuries in other areas throughout the kinetic chain, which need to be addressed to fully resolve what’s going on.
Are you always rolling out your ITB? Maybe it’s time to take a more practical approach to the problem 👨🏻🎓🧠💪
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