Foam Roller

Don't roll over the knee or the hip, anywhere you would be pressing the IT band to the bone. I rolled everything in between.

You will be incredibly sore at first, at least I was, and I was supporting most of my weight on my arms, too. I wouldn't hold too long on any one spot at this point.

I rolled as much as I could tolerate. That was only once a day for a few minutes at first. Eventually it was twice a day (I'd have done 3 if not for work) for 10-20 minutes a piece. I still use it preventively but only a couple of times a week or so.

Bump

Foam Rollers wrote:

I have been having IT pain for about 2 months. My question is what is the best way to use the foam roller for theis? should i role directly over the band, quad or hamstring, or glutes. Also how many times per day should I use it at first. How long should I roll over the muscle group each time, and how long should I hold it on an individual trigger point. Should I progressively add more each day? I started using it yeasterday and am really sore today, is this normal? Should I keep rolling through the pain in the muscle not in the knee, similar to ART or Massage.

Thanks in advance

It doesn't hurt to roll a lot. Do 2-3 times per day, no buildup necessary. In addition to this, however, if you have the Trigger Point Massage Therapy book, you should also do some manual massage with your hands. Roll a minute or more each time, and really you probably should roll all sections of your legs. Do your IT, quads, hammies, and glutes/lower back. The soreness is normal, so just do as much as you can stand and try not to make the pain unbearable.

Thanks for the website. I am still wondering if I should role directly over the band? The site says not to use the roller on tendons etc is the IT band an exception or is not like a tendon at all? Also should I apply pressure like it says to sit on a trigger point on the tender spots of the band?

bump

I would start just below the hip joint (on the muscle, not the joint) and gradually roll down to just above the knee - stopping at the individual trigger points along the way for about 30 seconds. In the beginning, you will have more trigger points and it will be more painful, but it will get better over time. I would just stop over a few spots and then move to the other side. Then follow up your foam rolling with stretching. If you are really sore from foam rolling the previous day, I would rest and try again the next day. It will get much easier after a week or two. The IT band is the most painful spot to do - so when I started out I didn't rest all of my weight on the foam roll the first few times.

After you have used the foam roller for a while, you can breeze through all the muscle groups with very few trigger points, maybe spending 30 seconds on each muscle.

Make sure you get roller that is REALLY firm. I notice the difference between buying one at a sporting store versus the one on Amazon.

Good points by Frank L but I would also go below the side of the knee down to the ankle to get the whole band and do it very SLOW. If it hurts then you're doing it right.

has anyone seen any scientific articles about using the foam roller? i'm particularly interested in knowing whether or not there is any actual change in the breakdown of scar tissue, increased flexibility, or any other physiologic change.

i'm kind of a skeptic when it comes to massage therapy and while the foam roller is cheaper, i just wonder if using this or a tennis ball to 'break up' tight spots is really doing any good at all.

The foam roller will make you tough, but it WILL NOT solve IT band problems. Don't believe the hype. You need to strengthen #1 your hips, and #2 your butt muscles. I had a nasty case of ITBS. Doing the hip exercises (like lateral-steps with mini bands), and butt exercises (bridges, etc) knocked it out. It creeps back up when I ignore my hips/butt. Good luck!

Former Sufferer wrote:

The foam roller will make you tough, but it WILL NOT solve IT band problems. Don't believe the hype. You need to strengthen #1 your hips, and #2 your butt muscles. I had a nasty case of ITBS. Doing the hip exercises (like lateral-steps with mini bands), and butt exercises (bridges, etc) knocked it out. It creeps back up when I ignore my hips/butt. Good luck!

I don't think the foam roller makes you tough, but it does treat the symptom and not the underlying cause. Strenghting goes a long way to preventing recurrence. Getting out of a shoe w/ too much lateral control also helped me.

The rollers massage the quad but may not do much for the cause.

The IT band runs up from the knee and widens into the Fascia Lata, a sheath on the outside of the leg. A good chunk of this becomes a little muscle, the Tensor Fascia Lata, which runs into the top front of the pelvis. If this muscle is getting overused and tenses up, the Fascia Lata gets 'tensed' even when you aren't running, and the constant tension in the IT band causes pain down there.

To relieve the pain, you should manually massage and stretch the Tensor Fascia Lata after each session. This is what puts the tension on the IT band. Sit on the floor, legs straight, with your back propped against a sofa. Tap the outside of your quads. If it's flat and tight, the TFL, Fascia Lata (the sheath down the outside) and the IT band are all under tension. Tense your thigh and feel where the top of the IT band attaches to the pelvis - the top six inches or so are the TFL muscle. Rub it gently, and stretch it away from the pelvis with your thumb. Usually after a minute or two the outside of the quad visibly goes loose and bouncy. This takes pressure off the IT band and allows more circulation through the quads.

To strengthen the TFL (and, indeed, all the other little muscles around the hips), see Video #1 on this page. The second routine in it (Myrtl) is a fantastic 5-6 minute routine for all the muscles around the hip. I started it after lower back trouble, but have noticed that my IT band is no longer tight after running sessions any more. It takes 3-4 days to get used to.

http://runningtimes.com/Article.aspx?ArticleID=16625

captainrobbo wrote:

http://runningtimes.com/Article.aspx?ArticleID=16625

Great link...i've been posting on the "hamstring tendonosis" thread. exercises in the 1st and 3rd videos, specifically the pedestal and cannonball routines, sure look like they would benefit anyone with upper ham or pifirformis issues.

Thanks hopefully this will help