What is the IT Band?
- A thick piece of Fascia (connective tissue) that extends from the Ilium of the pelvis to the outside of the Tibia. It is formed from the Tensor Facia Lata (TFL) and the Gluteal muscles.
- The IT band is not a muscle itself, therefore it does not stretch.
IT band syndrome is also known as runner’s knee. This diagnosis is characterized by pain in the outside of the knee during the chosen activity. (See picture above). Runner’s knee is usually caused by overuse (too much running or even cycling too soon) and weakness in the muscles that are connected to the IT Band: the gluteus maximus and gluteus Medius as well as the TFL.
How do you fix it?
Well, the first thing you need to remember is you don’t need to stop performing your exercise of choice. You do, however, need to reduce the amount that you are performing that exercise. Meaning if when you run, you begin to get pain at the 1-mile mark: you need to stop at that point. For the next week or two, only run for 1 mile or even less. You then slowly start to build up to running the mileage you were before.
You also need to strengthen the hip. Why the Hip?
Because that is where the muscles are that form the IT band come from! Those muscles include: TFL and gluteus Maximus and Medius.
The following exercises will help to strengthen those muscles:
- Side lying hip abduction: While laying on your side, bend the bottom leg and keep top leg straight. Lift the top leg while keeping the knee straight. Please make sure to keep the top leg behind you as in picture 2. This will ensure the strengthening of the gluteal muscles.
- Clamshells: laying on your side, bend both knees and hips to about 90 degrees each. Keep ankles together and lift knees to form a clamshell with the knees. Keep hips stacked on top of each other. Do not let the hips roll backward to ensure using the gluteal muscles and not the back.
- Bridges: Lay flat on your back with knees bent. Lift hips up until only your shoulders are on the floor. You should feel the muscles in the back of your legs and butt activate.
- Lateral walking: In standing (if you have a resistance band, put it around your ankles), with knees slightly bent, step sideways. Go about 10-15 feet, 2-3 laps always facing the same direction. You should feel the outside of the hips working.
With all of the exercises, please pay attention to your form! Small deviations in the way the exercise is performed will change which muscle you are working. For example, the side lying hip abduction. If you don’t keep your leg that is moving n line with the rest of your body (if the leg moves forward too much) you are working the hip flexor muscles or the muscles that bring your knee to your chest and not the glutes or TFL.
Please, please, please Do Not foam roll the IT Band!
This activity is something so many people do but it is unnecessary. Like I said before, it is not muscle therefore it does not stretch! And it is ridiculously painful. Why put yourself through that pain if it will do absolutely nothing for you? Anyone (PT or otherwise) that tells you to foam roll your IT band is just plain wrong.
This condition is something that many runners and cyclists will get in the course of their training, but as you can see, it is also extremely manageable and even preventable.