Lateral thigh foam rolling

Video Transcript

Hey everyone, Dr. Alibhai here. I’m going to teach you how to roll out your IT band. It’s a fibrous fascial sheath that attaches from the top of your hip all the way down to your knee, and you’ll feel the tightness through there. It’s a big culprit for hip pain and knee pain and can also cause lower back pain.

Grab a foam roller or a lacrosse ball. We’re going to lay on our side on the floor. Place the foam roller just on the side of the knee, not on the kneecap. It’s going to be really sore and tender in there, and you may not be able to put your whole body weight on it initially. So, find the right amount of pressure for you, and go slow and easy on this one. Roll back and forth, up and down through here. If you find a tight spot, just hang out there and take some deep breaths.

Breathe out. Okay, now let’s find another one. What we’re trying to do is desensitize that tissue so it’s not so painful, but also make it more mobile. We can stretch and move it better, and we’re bringing more blood flow to an area that’s been tight and contracted for so long.

Roll up and down on the leg, nice and slow and easy. Find the spots that are tender; they’re not supposed to be, so we’re working on those problem areas. You can come all the way up to the top of the hip joint, and you might feel this big lump of tissue that’s there. You can rock back and forth on that tissue.

And breathe, because it can be tender, and you’ll notice that it will let go as well. Okay, now let’s go all the way back down the leg. If you want to get more pressure on, you can go up on your hands. If you just want to lay on it and hang out there, noodling on that spot, you’re more than welcome to as well.

Spend 60 to 90 seconds on each leg. Let me know how it goes and how you feel. Take care. Bye now.