Subject: RE: IT band help Edge, Active Release and other myofascial tissue work as well as using a foam roller (my personal favorite is the Grid Foam Roller from TP Therapy ) can help with some aspects of IT band problems. But realize that you are probably stretching and releasing the muscles that attach to the IT band rather than the IT band itself. The iliotibial band is a fairly inflexible piece of tissue, much less so than muscle. I have athletes also focus on strengthing the glutes and the pelvis, since a lot of times, weakness in this area allows the hip to drop and the knee to rotate slightly inward which increases tension on the IT band and creates the pain. We have a IT band stretching video on Youtube that shows some of the stretches as well as a free handout on our website that shows some of the IT band exercises
-Doc John |