I already do a series of stretches, so I’m thinking one area I really haven’t focused on is some weight training for the buttock. Nothing major. Probably just using natural body weight - lunges and squats.
I have also never done massage therapy or foam rolling, but just came across suggestion of taking a wooden rolling pin and going up and down the tight IT band to loosen it out.
So the weights would be for prevention while the rolling pin would be to alleviate the current tightness
Your IT band is most likely tight due to a series of adhesions (i.e. scar tissue) along its length, and disproportionately weak supporting muscles. The universal solution is compound. First, you must find a way to break the adhesions down. Rolling your outer leg over a foam roller (or rolling pin) will get you part of the way there, but your best bet is to get in with a heavy-handed PT that can break up the adhesions then stretch them out (essentially making the adhesions unidirectional versus cross-directional).
You then need to religiously stretch and strengthen all of the supporting musculature in order to keep the band supple and tracking properly. It’s a pain in the ass problem, but it doesn’t typically recur as long as you stay proactive with the therapy.
I use 4" schedule 40 PVC pipe for my ‘foam roller’. The pin is nice for the VMO, but I could never put enough pressure on the IT band using a roller. Now if you can get someone to do it for you that might work.
Your IT band is most likely tight due to a series of adhesions (i.e. scar tissue) along its length
I am not 100% sure about that statement, I think it is likely tight due to glute issues and tightness which inevitably pulls on the IT, especially if this is a recent phenom. I don’t doubt that there may be some adhesion but the bulk of the tightness is likely from your hip / glute. A good way to test this is to roll with a roller or tennis ball in the hip / glute and see if the tightness goes away. If it does then your tightness is likely from there.
The other advice I would say is great though. You will probably find the most gain in glute strengthening of the glute med, glute min. There are a ton of exercises listed on IT threads in this forum. With anything like this actualy doing the exercises and then actually ding them properly is key. I found that, once I had overcome any issue, this little routine (see link below) keeps things in check … it’s quick and easy and you can do ti in front of the TV. Three things that mean they actually get done in my book. Muscle activation ill mean that you should see some results quite quickly. Strengthening them further then take a little more time.
Running Strength Video
One thing that should be noted, I feel, is that these muscles are relatively small. Don’t start nailing the crap out of them with exercises. Like any muscle, start slow, build up and also add in some recovery time for the muscle. My IT issues didn’t abate until I realised that by killing these muscles with tons of strengthening I was putting them in a weaker position during my runs / bikes than they were before. Just because you can do hip hikes are one exercise for IT and you can do 150 of them doesn’t mean it is a good idea to do so.
I think you need to build up to a harder roller and keep at it everyday, if you’re pretty much training most of the week. A regular foam roller does nothing for me. I use a Rumble roller now and that hurts so good. I’d also work the whole leg while you’re at it.
Also, you can sit in a chair and take your opposite hand and pull with a flat hand from the seat of the chair up. Add pressure as needed… just keep the noises down, if you’re in an office.
The adhesion theory would be nice if it was actually supported by evidence. If someone uses the “adhesion” justification to sell their services I’d be wary…
The ilotibial band consists of Type III collagen which requires approximately 250 lbs of pressure upon it for remodeling to occur (Threlkeld 1992).
Also consider nerve damage from the region of L4. Might not be a matter of “tight tissue” but instead referred tightness from lumbar spine dysfunction.
If someone purports to “remove adhesions” manually, that presupposes two things…
that they could actually identify the exact location of the adhesion beneath several layers of skin, muscle, fat, etc (do you really want someone just machine gunning into the leg under the guise that “I’m working out your adhesions”…what about all the healthy tissue that is getting pulverized)
That they are actually applying 250lbs of pressure upon the tissue, which again, is not directly on the affected tissue as that tissue is insulated by several layers of tissue superficially
That said, the foam rolling approach (compression) has been known to be followed by a reduction in pain, so it may work, but under different explanatory models than are currently available in the evidence.
I don’t think I have an issue with scar tissue but more so from just learning to structure my first 10-12 week ramp up for my HIM. I’m learning a lot about what works and what doesn’t work. I realized (only basically now) how I really wasn’t doing anything in terms of squats and or lunges, etc. thinking that some low cadence intervals on the trainer would “be my quad exercise”. I know - two different muscle groups - eck. I have been pretty religious with the post-run stretching. Its an error I made and it took a few 55 mile+ bike rides for me to actually discover it. I look at it as a growing pain.
I already do a series of stretches, so I’m thinking one area I really haven’t focused on is some weight training for the buttock. Nothing major. Probably just using natural body weight - lunges and squats.
I have also never done massage therapy or foam rolling, but just came across suggestion of taking a wooden rolling pin and going up and down the tight IT band to loosen it out.
So the weights would be for prevention while the rolling pin would be to alleviate the current tightness
Any opinions on this?
Best thing I ever did was to start rolling out the right leg on a daily basis and start weight based exercises. I have run injury free for the first year ever.
