physical therapy

“I thought it was just a tight band”: why rolling the IT band directly makes the pain spike instead of releasing it

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'I thought it was just a tight band': why rolling the IT band directly makes the pain spike instead of releasing it

Grinding away at your IT band with a foam roller doesn’t loosen anything—it just compresses dense tissue against bone. New research reveals the real cause of IT band pain isn’t tightness at all, and the solution lies elsewhere entirely.

Why Foam Rolling Your IT Band Is Making Your Knee Pain Worse

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Why Foam Rolling Your IT Band Is Making Your Knee Pain Worse

Foam rolling the IT band is ubiquitous gym advice—but it’s based on flawed logic. Research shows the IT band is connective tissue that can’t stretch under pressure, and rolling it actually increases inflammation in already-irritated structures. The real solution lies in strengthening the hip stabilizers that are causing the problem in the first place.