I bet the title of this article got the attention of some people – especially runners who have been told their knee pain is due to a tight IT-band and have been constantly “stretching” it….and don’t see results.
It’s unfortunate that people out there (including some medical professionals) think the reason someone has pain in the front/side of their knee is a “tight” IT-band…and that the “solution” to this knee problem is to foam roll it, stretch it, massage it, etc.
A study in 2008 determined the amount of force it would take to lengthen the IT-band was essentially superhuman. They found out that it would take ~2,000 lbs of force to lengthen your IT-band 1%. They described this large amount of force as “far outside the human physiologic range.”
So what does that all mean?
Basically that there is no way that anything you or your therapist is doing is actually lengthening it! And this also means that a “tight” IT-band is not the reason for your pain.
Let me briefly talk about how foam rolling your IT band because I know many of you are probably doing that or have been told do that.
If you like foam rolling your ITB and feel better after it, then go for it – just realize that you aren’t actually stretching anything. And my recommendation would be to limit it to 15-20 seconds at most on each side (in fact, that’s my recommendation for foam rolling any body part).
Although, if you are someone who likes to do static ITB stretches, my recommendation is to stop them because you’re just wasting time. Rather, perform some more appropriate mobility drills and/or exercises specific to your limitations.
What To Do
I couldn’t end this post without briefly (emphasize briefly because there is so much to potentially talk about) discussing what you should actually be doing for your knee/hip pain instead of “stretching” your ITB.
There are many potential problem areas that can be causing this type of pain – could be a mobility or motor control issue somewhere from the foot all the way up to the thoracic spine and anything in-between.
Some of the common problems I see in people who have lateral knee and/or lateral hip pain and were told it was their “tight” ITB are: limited hip mobility (usually internal rotation), poor neuromuscular control of the lower extremity, and/or limited ankle dorsiflexion; in runners, could also be training error or running mechanics issue.
So stop “stretching” your IT Band, get your movement checked out and get rid of that nagging hip/knee pain.
And remember, you don’t need a prescription to see a physical therapist (read more about that here)