Fix IT Band Syndrome (NO FOAM ROLLING or Stretching!)

Today we go over what IT Band Syndrome is, why it starts and how to go about fixing it WITHOUT foam rolling!

So what exactly is the IT Band? Well, it’s actually a thick piece of fascia (dense connective tissue) that runs from the top of your hip all the way to the outside (lateral) part of your knee. It encloses the tensor fasciae latae (TFL) and also has connections to the gluteus maximus (your largest butt muscle), lateral hamstrings and lateral quads.

The initial thought process by many was that when the IT Band is excessively tight, it repetitively shifts forward and backward over the prominent part of your femur bone as your knee bends and straightens (called your lateral femoral condyle). This causes friction underneath the IT Band that eventually results in inflammation and pain.

We’ve found through recent research that the IT Band is firmly attached to the distal femur by strong fibrous strands that prevent it from rolling over the epicondyle as previously thought. In fact, the rolling movement many see when the knee is flexed and straightened is not actually a true movement but instead a shifting in the tension of the IT Band. As the knee is progressively bent, tension is shifted from the anterior to the posterior fibers of the ITB.

For this reason, we believe that the problem is not due to friction underneath the band but instead compression of a layer of highly innervated fat (contains a lot of nerve endings) that leads to pain. Thus, it is not the IT Band itself but the tissue underlying its attachment to the lateral knee that is the pain generator in ITB Syndrome (medically this is classified as form of enthesopathy).

WHAT CAUSES THE PAIN?

So now that we know what IT Band Syndrome is and how to test for it, let’s now talk about why this issue started in the first place. In the movie Happy Gilmore, Adam Sandler’s character had a golf coach named Chubbs who loved to say, “It’s all in the hips.” And boy was he right.

Solving IT Band pain requires us to expose and fix problems in strength and coordination in the lateral hip muscles. So instead of directing our treatment at the site of symptoms we're going to fix WHY the problem started in the first place!

To learn more of my favorite exercises for fixing this injury, check out this blog article: https://squatuniversity.com/2017/05/30/how-to-fix-it-band-pain/

Buy my book: https://www.amazon.com/Squat-Bible-Ultimate-Mastering-Strength/dp/1540395421
Subscribe to this channel here: https://tinyurl.com/y2eq7kpr
Recommended products: https://squatuniversity.com/recommended-products/
____________________________________________________________
Big thanks to 3d4Medical and their app Complete Anatomy for the visual of the body today. If you would like to use their app at a discounted price, check out this link: https://store.3d4medical.com/application/user-kind?id=1&promo=uRSj7I7YOr

Music credits
Opening track by JookTheFirst: Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/jookthefirst

Background track by Fox Beats: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvpD...

Connect with SquatUniversity:
Visit the website: http://www.squatuniversity.com
Like the Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/SquatUnivers...
Follow on Twitter: https://twitter.com/squatuniversity
Follow on SnapChat: @aaronhorschig
Follow on Instagram: http://instagram.com/squat_university
Listen to the Podcast on: apple iTunes, Overcast, Pocket Casts, Google Play and the Anchor App!

Special thank you to Evan Pierson Productions for his help in making this video!

Видео Fix IT Band Syndrome (NO FOAM ROLLING or Stretching!) канала Squat University