IT Band stretches?

[wild bill]

I am looking for an online guide or book or person that can help me stretch on a regular basis my IT band. I talked with a bunch of professional coaches and sports doctors but they say it is really tough to stretch it. Can anyone out there help?

[MHR]

Ok this is secret #67 of 100

This is one of the most effective methods I have found.......

Find a table or a flat surface in the gym that is about 3 - 8" above knee height.
1. Face the flat surface
2. Take one leg, place it flat on the table across your body (so knee to ankle is across your body - Indian style)
3. Dip your rear toward the floor - you will feel the IT band stretch from the hip down the leg

Good luck

[cycleprincess]

LOVE that stretch...works great at your bathroom counter...I do it every morning while I brush my teeth! Do it with a straight leg too...and sit, turn your let out though so the inside of your foot is on the counter...bad cue...hope you can follow that one!

[H2OChick]

I can get a good stretch by doing the traditional crossover...

Standing, cross your feet at the ankes. Reach down to touch your toes, but instead of just touching your toes, reach to the outside of your rear foot. So, if your right foot/leg were in back of your left, you'd want to reach to the right side. You can make slight movements in your hips to increase the stretch, too.

[Eman]

The ITB covers a long area, crossing both the hip and knee, and is very thick tissue that can be quite hard to stretch. Try to lie on your back and bring the target side leg across the opposite side leg. By pulling up as well as across you should feel your ITB stetch. The leg of the side you are stretching can be either bent into a "figure four" position or more straight. However it is often more effective to release the ITB through massage than from stretching. My chiropractor turned me on to foam rollers for this very reason. Lay the roller on the floor. Next, slowly drag your body across the roller, with the ITB making direct contact with the roller. Roll from the knee to your hip. These device acts as a deep tissue massage of the region. There is also a good article about this in the April issue of "Triathlete" magazine.

[kea423]

As a student physical therapist and a current sufferer of iliotibial band syndrome, foam rollers are the best for stretching the it band. The most important thing to do when using foam rollers is to look for "hot spots" (very painful spots) and specifically work those spots. Keep in mind, using foam rollers is incredibley painful for the first few weeks.

-dan

[EarlT]

I can get a good stretch by doing the traditional crossover...

Standing, cross your feet at the ankes. Reach down to touch your toes, but instead of just touching your toes, reach to the outside of your rear foot. So, if your right foot/leg were in back of your left, you'd want to reach to the right side. You can make slight movements in your hips to increase the stretch, too.

Thanks for the recommendation, i had not tried that one.
I mostly employ the "warrior" pose (a yoga form i cannot describe very well - yahoo search will bring it up)
or a sitting crossover stretch. Good to have one i can use while standing - thanks again.