Sebastian Brosche · 15 min · 1,390 words
Previously titled: Video 1 - IT Band Rehab Program
Hi everyone, we've had some requests in for a program that deals with Iliotibial Band Syndrome. So the Iliotibial band is a large stretch of connective tissue that goes right away from the hip here. It attaches to a couple of muscles, the glutes at the back and a small muscle called tensor fasciae latae here at the front and it goes all the way down past the lateral side of the knee. Now ITB syndrome often results in pain on the lateral side of the knee here.
It's really common in runners and sometimes athletes in other sports as well and it usually people usually notice the symptoms first here but it can also result in pain around the hip as well. Now there are lots of theories as to why this happens. There are lots of people who very confidently tell you exactly what's going on whether it's the ITB is too tight or you've got a muscle imbalance or something like that. The reality is actually we don't know exactly what causes this condition.
There are lots of theories out there but what we do know is there are some exercises which can help a lot of people who have this condition. So that's what we're going to focus on in this program and as always if you're not improving then do go and see a professional for individual advice. So for today's program we're going to use our trusty foam roller. We've got a length of thera-band which I've tied into a ring there and we're also going to need a step so the bottom step of your staircase works just fine for that.
Okay so put the band to one side, grab your foam roller and we're going to start by working into the front of the quads here. I'm just going to roll up and down the muscle. If I find a sore point I can just hang out there for a minute, just allow the muscle to relax. Now the thing with foam rollers, there's been some controversy about this because a lot of people will say things like oh we're breaking down scar tissue or we're stretching fascia and actually there's very little evidence that that is what's happening.
But what people think it does do is it reduces the sensitivity of those muscles to stretch which allows people to get a bit more mobility. Now that's typically a temporary effect but that can be very useful before a training session in order to make sure you've got the most mobility possible for doing those exercises. So that's why we're using this here. Okay and then from there I'm going to work into the lateral side so not only into the iliotibial band but also the muscles underneath it.
So you've got the vastus lateralis which is part of your quadricep muscle group and that can often get sore and painful and again by using the foam roller we're reducing that sensitivity. Now if you're finding this really sore at the moment then either you can get yourself a softer foam roller or you can put a bit more weight onto your other leg to take some of the pressure off. The idea is not to make yourself really sad when you're doing this. You want to work just a little bit into that discomfort zone but not too far.
Okay I'm going to switch legs, we're going to do some on the other leg as well. So with today's program I'm going to do most of this on both sides. I think what we tend to find is that if we just work on one side people are very often come back and say the side we've been working on is great but the other side has got sore now. So we're going to make sure that we we do some work on both and again it's not uncommon for runners in particular to get problems on both sides.
Okay, moving onto the side. Pop the roller to one side. We're going to go into a half kneeling stretch. So I want my back knee at 90 degrees, my front knee at 90 degrees and I'm not going to lean forwards like this.
I'm going to push my hip forwards keeping my back straight and my head towards the ceiling. I should feel a stretch down the front of the thigh at the back. I'm just going to hold that. So I might just squeeze my glutes to put the stretch on even more.
Keep breathing there. Now if you're not feeling much of a stretch here it's possible to elevate the back foot to put it up on a roller or on a cushion. Most people can get a good stretch in this position. I'm going to switch to the other side.
So again making sure that I've got my back up straight. I'm pushing my hip forwards. I'm not leaning forwards at the waist. Make sure I keep breathing there.
We're going to go onto our back. So what I'm going to start with is a few basic hip bridges. Just up and down. For some people that's actually enough and just carry on doing that.
If that feels quite easy though I'm going to suggest you go onto a single leg hip bridge. So you're going to hold one knee on your chest. Just going to push up through the other foot. Now you won't get as much movement doing it with one leg and that's okay.
As always if any of these exercises start to bring on the pain that you're getting feel free to go back to an easier version of the exercise or to back off completely. So I want you to really listen to your body when you're doing this. The idea is not to push into pain. A little bit of discomfort is fine but we don't want more than that.
So from there I'm going to grab my thera band. I'm just going to put that loop around my knees just below the knee and around the top of the shin here. I'm going to go into a position where I can do squats. So toes pointing slightly out for most people and I want to keep my knees pushed into the band.
I go down so I'm not letting the band pull the knees together. So and then drop the band to one side. We're going to repeat that section again. We're going to go back to the hip bridge.
Starting one leg down, one knee on the chest. If you find you're getting cramp in the hamstrings when you do this that's probably a sign that you actually need to do more of it but I suggest you start by going back to the double leg hip bridge and working on that until it starts to feel a bit more comfortable in the hamstrings. So back to our band. And drop the band off to one side.
Now we need the step. I'm going to start with one foot on the step, the other foot on the ground. And the idea is you're going to push through the foot that's on top. I'm not going to push off from the foot that's on the bottom if I can help it and I want to lift myself straight towards the ceiling.
So there's little forward lean as possible. This is a very easy exercise to add weight to so if this feels easy you can add a dumbbell or even just a shopping bag in your opposite hand. So I'm making sure I squeeze with the glutes as I lift up. We switch legs.
And then I switch back to the first side. It's very common for one side to feel stronger than the other when you do this. Most of us, whether we know it or not, have a stronger leg just as we have a dominant hand. So and switch round again.
So if this feels easy I'd suggest starting to add a little bit of weight. But as always don't do too much too soon. And rest there. So we're going to stop there for day one and we'll be back tomorrow to take this exercise program further.
This is the transcript. Become a member to watch the video.
Watch now →.avif)