Should you foam roll the IT Band?

Should you foam roll the ITB?
Short answer: No.

But let’s start here instead.

What is the IT Band?

The iliotibial tract or iliotibial band is a longitudinal fibrous reinforcement of the fascia lata. The action of the muscles associated with the ITB (tensor fasciae latae and some fibers of gluteus maximus) flex, extend, abduct, and laterally and medially rotate the hip. The ITB contributes to lateral knee stabilization.

Important to note here these are the actions of the muscles attached TO the ITB!

The IT Band is fascia not muscle. Fascia is actually by design quite resistant to stretching; it is meant to transfer load.

Because the IT band itself can't be stretched, it's likely time to change up your stretching and foam rolling routine. Rolling up and down the length of your IT band isn't going to have any effect on the IT band itself long term.

Let me back that statement up..

There have been several studies around the IT Band and its lack of stretch and flexibility. All of which are conclusive that they do not stretch; any increase in length is minimal to none, and short lived. One which has always stuck with me is where they attached a 900kg load to an IT Band and resulted in no “permanent tissue deformation” and any individual who experienced positive side effects from ITB stretching could assume it was “influenced by additional underlying factors”. Here is the PubMed study reference if you’d like to read yourself! PMC7296993

When could ITB pain start?

An example of when IT Band pain could arise is when muscles like the tensor fascia latae and gluteus maximus are not functioning properly, it can cause the IT band to excessively compress the tissue underneath it. The repetition of this, over time, is what leads to pain. TFL and Glute Max work to abduct the hip (amongst other functions) and if they are not working as they should it can have this knock on effect. Also, weak muscles are often tight muscles!

So, what should you do?

- Roll TFL, Quads, Glutes

- Stretch Quads and Hip Flexors

- Improve lateral hip strength and lower body stability - Strengthen Glutes; Think, single leg squats, single leg Romanian deadlifts, band crab walks etc.

- Click the button below and book a massage, of course!

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