IT Band Frustration: Debunking Myths and Finding Real Solutions
The IT band is often a misunderstood and mismanaged area of the body, especially when it comes to addressing pain and discomfort. Many of us have been told to stretch, foam roll, or even stop exercising entirely to heal our IT band issues. However, these common practices may not be as effective as we think. In this post, we'll debunk three widespread myths about the IT band and explore the real steps you can take to address the underlying causes of your symptoms.
Myth 1: That you're stretching your IT band...despite our best efforts, we're not actually increasing tissue length in our IT band. The band itself is a thick fibrous tissue that does not contract and elongate like muscles do. Instead of spending time trying to stretch the IT band to greater lengths, you're better off determining why you're having "IT band symptoms". In other words, what is driving your symptoms, is it something that needs to be addressed up the chain at your hip or further down the chain at your knee or even lower leg/foot?
Myth 2: Foam rolling is loosening up your IT band...nope. Just think about it like this, if a foam roller were able to change the pliability of your soft tissues, why don't the other soft tissues change then as well? You don't see someone with looser skin or holes in their muscles after foam rolling do you? So then you ask, "well, why does my IT band/knee/etc feel better after foam rolling in that area?" The most likely answer is a combination of these things...increased blood flow to the area, a novel stimulus or input that allows your body to relax any tension in that area and the surrounding muscles a bit or a placebo effect. Now keep in mind, none of these potential outcomes are bad. In fact they're all good if it helps decrease your symptoms. But don't stop there, keep going. Now that you're feeling a little better, make sure to address the root cause that continues to bother you.
Myth 3: I need to stop running/playing my sport in order to let my IT band heal...while proximal (up the chain, near your hip) or distal (down the chain, closer to your knee) IT band symptoms can be irritating and downright frustrating, there's usually no need to completely stop doing your sport. Instead, you just need to address the root cause of the symptoms. This could be improving your lateral hip strength, changing your running mechanics or modifying your training volume or a number of other strategies to tackle the problem.
Moral of the story is that your IT band is often a "messenger" and not the root cause or the actual underlying issue. You need to figure out why you're having IT band symptoms and make the changes/adaptations to your body and/or movement. While these symptoms are often frustrating, they don't have to keep you sidelined any longer. Are you dealing with knee pain, hip pain or pain in the outside of your thigh? Then, let's figure out why these symptoms are happening and get you back to full strength.
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"I had an overall great experience here. I had a shoulder and knee injury form my time in the military that had been nagging me for years. I was able to work through different stages of recovery and now had full use of the joints again with minimal to no issues. They were professional and efficient. I would definitely recommend to anyone with injuries."
-EVOLV client
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