Examination & Treatment of IT Band Tightness with Our Sports Chiropractor in Lakeville

Your IT band, or iliotibial band, is a long piece of connective tissue that connects your hip to your knee. Functionally, your IT band helps extend (kick back), abduct (kick out), and laterally rotate (turn out) your hip as well as stabilize your knee joint. At the Lake Marion Chiropractic Center, our sports chiropractor in Lakeville, Dr. Couillard, helps athletes and people of all backgrounds find non-invasive relief from IT band dysfunction. 

Why is My IT Band so Tight? 

IT band tightness and pain can occur when the lower part of the band repeatedly and excessively slides across a bony bump on the outside of your knee. This often happens with cyclists, who must frequently bend and extend their knees. If you have muscle tightness in your hips, weak hip muscles, poor sports-specific form (especially running), or even use improper footwear, you may also be at risk for developing IT band tightness.

So, what does it feel like? The main symptom is pain on the outside of the knee joint. A tight IT band may also be palpable; that is, you can actually feel a tight, dense, and tender band on the outside of your thigh. 

3 Exercises to Relieve IT Band Tightness

• Supine Bridge with Marching: Lie on your back. Put your feet on the floor with your knees bent. With a strong core, lift your buttocks into the air as high as you can comfortably go. Then, keeping your spine as stable and still as possible and without dropping your hips, lift one foot into the air, hold for a second, then return the foot to the floor. Repeat in an alternating fashion for 20-30 repetitions. 
• Sidelying Hip Abduction: Lie on your side with your head supported. Bend the bottom leg to stabilize yourself while keeping the upper leg straight. Then lift the upper leg, using your outside hip muscles only. Keep your foot parallel to the ground and your leg in line with your stable spine. 
• Self-Myofascial Release with a Foam Roll: Find a foam roller. Roll around on the outside of your upper leg until you find somewhere that feels tight and painful. Breathe and stay in this area for at least 30 seconds to 1 minute, until the pain and stiffness begins to relax. Then, keep moving until you find another tense area. Aim for at least 2 minutes on each leg. 

In addition to these exercises, our Lakeville chiropractor can help with IT band tightness by providing chiropractic adjustments, soft tissue massage and mobilization, kinesio taping, and more.

Are you struggling with IT band-related pain and dysfunction?

Get natural and drug-free pain relief with our Lakeville chiropractor, Dr. Couillard, by calling Lake Marion Chiropractic Center of Lakeville and St. Paul, MN at (952)469-8385.