IT Band Exercises. Full Rehab Routine For IT Band Pain Relief.

Looking for IT band exercises to fix your IT band pain? Here is all you need to know about IT Band Syndrome and a full IT Band Rehab routine to get you out of pain.

Hurt Foot Fitness Coaching Program

Hurt Foot Fitness e-book 

Strong Body Program

Hip and Hamstring healing e-book

Full length, downloadable workout videos here. 

You can also contact me for virtual coaching and then we can do workouts together on your own schedule 😉

It aches when you go up and down stairs. It slows you down when you try to run or jump. Sometimes you get a sharp pain that brings you to a dead stop. What is it?! IT Band Syndrome, and without the right treatment will put your fitness on the sidelines and take you out of the activities you love.

Don’t let IT Band Syndrome take you out of your workout game. Heres everything you need to know about IT Band Syndrome and a movement plan to get you OUT of pain.

What Is IT Band Syndrome?

Iliotibial band syndrome, or ITBS, is the result of inflammation of the iliotibial band, a thick band of fibrous tissue that runs down the outside of the leg. The iliotibial band begins above the hip joint and extends to the outer side of the shin bone (tibia) just below the knee joint.

The main symptom is pain on the outer side of your knee, just above the joint. Early on, the pain might go away after you warm up. Over time though, you may notice it gets worse as you exercise.

Other symptoms include:

• Aching, burning, or tenderness on the outside of your knee
• Feeling a click, pop, or snap on the outside of your knee
• Pain up and down your leg
• Warmth and redness on the outside of your knee

See your doctor if you have these symptoms, especially if any existing ones get worse.

What Causes IT Band Syndrome??

There are SO many factors that can play into the cause behind IT Band Syndrome. Here are a few:

Not using the right training techniques.

• Not doing enough to stretch, warm up, and cool down
• Pushing too hard — you go too far or for too long
• Not resting long enough between workouts
• Wearing worn-out sneakers

Running or training on the wrong surfaces.

• Running downhill
• Running only on one side of the road. Because roads slope toward the curb, your outside foot is lower, which tilts your hips and throws your body off.
• Training on banked, rather than flat, surfaces. Most running tracks are slightly banked.

Certain physical conditions. Some traits raise your chances of getting IT band syndrome:

• Bowed legs
• Knee arthritis
• One leg that’s longer than the other
• Rotating your foot or ankle inward when you walk or run
• Rotating your whole leg inward when you walk or run
• Weakness in your abs, glutes, or hip muscles

When I work with clients the main cause I see for IT Band Syndrome is TOO much repetitive stress cardio (running, cycling, jumping) / general overtraining in addition to weak butt, core, and hip muscles. So mostly the people I see with IT Band Syndrome have overtrained in running or cardio and UNDERTRAINED in strength – leading to muscular weakness, muscular imbalance, and overuse causing IT Band pain.

 

IT Band Exercises Training Plan.

If you’ve been diagnosed with ITBS, the first thing you need to do is stop running or doing any aggravating activities (jumping, deep knee bending) – completely – for seven to 14 days.

But this doesn’t mean you should be sitting on the couch! Like most injuries, recovery requires some active work. Lucky for you I filmed a quick IT Band exercises video tutorial to help you. These IT band  exercises are specifically designed to treat IT Band Syndrome and get you back to working out healthy.

Because the IT band is so connected to the butt, hip and core muscles, we focus on strengthening these parts of your body in this IT Band Exercises video routine. When your glutes are weak or tired, the result is often decreased knee stability, meaning your knee can be pulled either inward or outward excessively.

A weak butt is simply a side effect of our modern lifestyles: too much sitting and not enough strength training. Ive explained all about this “sleeping BOOTY” syndrome here. Bottom line (pun intended!) we have to get your butt, hips, and core WORKING for you. We need to stabilize and strengthen your body to get you OUT of pain and back in your workout game.

Perform these moves every other day while injured, and use the alternating days for core work or other strength exercises that don’t aggravate the area. My Strong Body fitness program is the perfect solution to guided strength workouts that will keep you on the road to pain free fitness success. Check it out here – and use the guided strength workouts to help you continue to heal! 

This routine can help heal your IT band injury within a week or two if it’s a minor case. (If the pain persists, find a doctor who specializes in running injuries.) For the workout, you will need:

• Mini loop resistance band. This would be my recommendation – there’s so many kinds out there! 
• Exercise mat

IT Band Pain Exercises. Full Rehab Routine To Get You Out of Pain.

• Side lying lateral leg raise. 2-3 sets. 10-20 reps
• Side lying clamshell. 2-3 sets. 10-20 reps
• Hip Bridge with a band. 2-3 sets of 10-20 reps
• Side step shuffle. 2-3 rounds 30-60 seconds
• Banded squat with mirror. 2-3 rounds of 10-20 reps
• Hip Hike
• Single leg deadlift
• Quad/hipflexor stretch

IT Band Pain Exercises. Full Rehab Routine Video

How To Safely Return To Training after IT Band Syndrome

IT Band pain can be a recurring issue that limits everything you do. Its important to BALANCE your training with strength and cross training to prevent IT Band pain from being a regular thing.

As you get stronger and your symptoms subside, test the injured leg with short exercise that can be extended as long as the pain is not causing a limp or any compensation. Strides can sometimes be performed early in the treatment phase shorter and faster exercise often does not make the injury worse. Recovery time depends on many factors such as the length of time you have been injured and biomechanical aspects of your stride. ITS ESSENTIAL to continue strengthening after you have resumed training to prevent further pain or episodes. I always tell my clients to “do their homework” before their “fun runs” and races. If you consistently keep your butt muscles strong, you won’t be sidelined by as many injuries or pain. Use the IT band exercises and video above on a weekly basis to help you avoid injury and kick butt at life.

Need more help getting a plan to get OUT of injury and BACK into working out again? Check out my 6 week Strong Body online coaching program or contact me here for a one-on-one customized fitness plan. 

I hope this IT band exercise routine helps you heal your IT band injury and get back into exercise safely and successfully! Please let me know if you try this routine in the comments below. Have you ever had IT band pain? Have you done strength training to feel GOOD again?? I’d love to hear your comments and thoughts below.

Heres to staying strong, moving smart, and feeling good,

Caroline

Other things to check out: 

• Get rid of knee pain. Simple exercises and tips for knee pain relief.
• butt and hip massage video. 
• Abs workout videos