This video gives a quick demonstration of How To Foam Roll Your IT Bands with Nick Iadonisi of livebiomechanix.com
Please take a moment and invest in learning a little about your IT Band and why keeping it healthy and loose is so important. The iliotibial band is a thick band of fascia on the lateral aspect of the knee, extending from the outside of the pelvis, over the hip and knee, and inserting just below the knee. This ligament is crucial to stabilizing the knee, especially while running.
When this particular ligament gets overused, it becomes shortened. This begins a chain reaction which begins to put extra pressure and tension on your glutes (butt muscles.) Statistically speaking, most people already have tight glute muscles from sitting combined with a lack of stretching. With all that being said, your glutes are incredibly sensitive to a tight IT Band, when the glutes tighten up, they then begin to pull on your quadratus lumborum muscles, the muscles of the lower back. This lower back pain or aching in most cases is totally avoidable, all it takes is a little foam rolling to unlock the rest of your body.
photo credit: chadwaterbury.com
This form of soft tissue therapy is good for targeting specific trigger points within an inch or two. Holding pressure on the area and rolling back and forth for 30-60 seconds will increase blood flow, reduce pain and pressure pressure, and allow your muscles to glide smoothly over one another as they contract. This has also been known to help unlock the body, as well as increase energy and mobility.
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