Why Your IT Band Will Be Tight Long After Foam Rolling (Unless You Make the Following Changes)

Over the past several years there has been increasing interest in incorporating foam rolling into our fitness routines.  It’s such a part of popular culture now even TIME magazine has touched upon this subject.

Though the foam roll can be applied to any part of the body, the area that seems to garner the most attention is the iliotibial band (or IT band for short), the connective tissue that attaches your hip muscles to your knee.

That’s because a tight IT band can lead to IT band syndrome, an overuse injury that causes pain on the outside of the knee.  So it should be no surprise that many active people dedicate a portion of their workouts to address this tightness.

While no one finds the ritual of rolling back and forth on the foam roll particularly enjoyable, many continue to do it believing it is the only way to get relief from the tightness and pain that the IT band can cause.

So what is it that causes the IT band to get so tight?  Is foam rolling really necessary?  And is there a better alternative to address this problem?

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