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Having Knee Pain? It Could Be From Your I.T. Band!

Apr 08, 2021

The I.T. band is a large piece of connective tissue on your outer thigh. "I.T." actually stands for iliotibial band, it connects the ilium (hip) bone to the tibia (shin) bone. Hence it's name. Let's look into what causes I.T. band pain and tightness and discuss ways to relieve it.


How can you tell if you have tight I.T. bands?


  • Outer knee pain
  • Hip pain
  • Tight glutes
  • Tight hips
  • Runner's knee
  • Extreme inflexibility
  • Flat feet
  • Hamstring pain
  • Low Back pain

If you have any of these, then you know your I.T. band is a factor. Your IT band should have even tension held throughout it. Many times, the I.T. band gets tighter around an area of extreme stress or misalignment. For example, if you have knee pain on the outside follow that pain up the outer thigh. Do you feel a tight piece of hard tissue? Is it overly sensitive? This is your I.T. band, and it is probably not happy with you poking at it. Let's take a look at the anatomy here.


This band is aptly named because it's not a muscle or tendon, but rather a thick, inflexible, sheet of fascia (it's the largest piece of fascia in the body!). It's job is to hold the muscles of the thigh in place and create spring-like elasticity while running. It helps stabilize all the structures of the leg from the hip, down to the knee. Knee pain is the most common symptom of tight I.T. bands or I.T.B. syndrome. This usually occurs in runners, or sprinting athletes where ballistic movements are needed.


Here are the main culprits to I.T. band syndrome:


1. Excessive running, jumping, or cycling, particularly when knee and hip alignment is off. Keep in mind that any movement with poor alignment can lead to problems. That’s because part of the I.T. band’s purpose is to keep your knee optimally tracking as you move, so if your joints are consistently out of alignment (say, if your feet pronate when you walk or turn out when you ride your bike), it can irritate your I.T. band.


2. Overstretching or over-tensing your glute muscles from exercise or poor posture habits (for example, sitting cross-legged or frequently wearing high heels).


3. Excessive sitting, which chronically shortens the tensor fasciae latae while overly lengthening the glutes, weakening your hips, hamstrings, and gluteal muscles and aggravating your I.T. band.


4. Leg length discrepancies, which can place excessive strain on one hip, leading to I.T. band issues on the longer leg.


Good news is that all these issues can be easily solved at Thrive Family Chiropractic. With correcting posture issues, you will have less knee and I.T. band pain. Call Thrive Family Chiropractic today! 562-386-1415




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