Knee Pain?

Is your knee sore after running?  Does your hip ache when you are sleeping on your side?  Does it hurt to foam roll the side of your leg?  If so, you may have a tight IT band.

The iliotibial tract is a thick layer of fascia that stretches from your hip down the side of your leg to just below the knee. It helps stabilize the knee and can become inflamed in many athletes.  Overuse, strength imbalance, forgetting to stretch after a work out, or biomechanical abnormalities can irritate the IT band. 

Myofacial release and stretching are the best ways to treat It band pain.  Here are three stretches you can do after you have foam rolled the front and sides of your quadriceps.

Stretch #1 

Lying supine, place a strap around your foot and pull your leg across your body.  Do not try to pull the foot closer to your head; focus instead on pulling the leg across the body and nailing both hips to the ground.  Hold for one minute and then switch legs.

Stretch #2 

 Lying on the ground, cross your knees (not your ankles!) and pull your knees to your chest.  Take a hold of your ankles and pull your ankles towards you (your right hand will be holding your left ankle and your left hand will hold your right ankle).  Hold one minute and then switch the cross of your legs.

Stretch #3

 Standing with your left hand on a wall, step your right foot across and in front of your left.  Then stretch your left leg towards your right side so that the side of your foot is now on the ground.  Then focus on stretching your left hip away from your left foot.  Hold one minute and then switch sides.