Case background:
In the past few days, a small friend said in a private message that he used to run often, because he did not pay much attention to warm-up and relaxation before and after exercise, when When the amount of running increased, I felt pain on the outside of the knee joint. Later, I found out that it was the problem of the iliotibial band. Since then, I began to pay special attention to stretching and relaxation. But recently, even with regular warm-ups and cool-downs, the pain on the outside of the knee has not improved. Today, I will talk about the “runner’s knee” problem caused by the tension of the iliotibial band that runners often encounter. I hope that this article can fundamentally solve the problem of iliotibial band friction syndrome.
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After reading this article, you will gain the following four Aspects of information:
functional anatomy of iliotibial band
analysis of the causes of iliotibial band syndrome
how to solve iliotibial band syndrome
Iliotibial Band Functional Anatomy
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Let’s start with anatomy Come up and get to know the iliotibial band. The iliotibial band is located on the outer side of the thigh. Literally, it has two meanings: First, the words “iliotibial” tell us the starting and ending positions of the iliotibial band, which originate from the iliac crest. Inserts down the lateral side of the thigh to the lateral condyle of the tibia. In other words, the iliotibial band starts at the hip and runs along the outer thigh, resting on the outer edge of the shinbone of the lower leg just below the knee joint. The second is “bundle”, and there are two explanations for “bundle” here: One is the direction, the bundle expresses the vertical or vertical meaning; the other is that the content is not muscle tissue but aponeurosis . The iliotibial band is a tough and thick fibrous tissue band, which is the connective tissue formed by the iliotibial band, the tensor fascia lata and the gluteus maximus. In this way, it is more appropriate to call it the iliotibial band.
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The iliotibial band is functionally It is a very important knee joint protection device. It provides stability support for the knee joint together with the quadriceps during the whole movement of the human body, and reduces the vertical movement of the knee joint due to impact or reflection during daily walking or exercise. Pressure, among other things, assists in flexion of the human knee, limiting external rotation of the tibia and varus of the knee.
Analysis of the Causes of Iliotibial Band Syndrome
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When we talk about the problem of the iliotibial band, many friends will think of relaxing the iliotibial band before and after exercising, paying more attention to rest, reducing the amount of exercise, etc. Indeed, this is also one of the ways to relieve pain on the lateral side of the knee joint , including private messages to ask my little friends to do the same. But from the practical results, the problem has not been fundamentally solved. So where is the root of the problem? The underlying problem is abnormal biomechanics combined with overtraining.
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The iliotibial band is essentially the deep fascia , is formed by the outward thickening of the fascia lata, which is destined to be not very malleable, so some friends often say that relaxing the iliotibial band is unlikely to be achieved. The iliotibial band is a fascia, the tensor fascia lata and the gluteus maximus are muscles, and the structure of the iliotibial band determines that the tensor fascia lata and the gluteus maximus must function normally. function to stabilize the outside of the knee joint. In real life, most people’s hip muscles are in a stretched and weak state. In order to stabilize the knee joint, the body usually chooses the path of least resistance to complete the task. At this time, the tensor fascia lata will take on more of the heavy responsibility of stabilizing the knee joint, resulting in continuous tension of the tensor fascia lata, which will make the soft tissue of the iliotibial band excessively tight and the myofascia will be severely damaged. bondage.
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In addition, the hip muscles The gluteus medius is the largest hip abductor in the human body, while the tensor fascia lata is the smallest hip abductor. abductor muscles. The hip abductors used in daily life are mostly used as antagonists of the adductors to stabilize our hip joint. At the same time, in daily life and sports, most of the human body moves more in the sagittal plane, while the movement in the frontal plane and the horizontal plane decreases, which results in a decrease in the strength of the gluteus medius. The stability of the pelvis is also very important. When the gluteus medius and the gluteus minimus cannot stabilize the pelvis normally, the tensor fascia lata has to stand up again to stabilize the hip joint.
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Tensor fascia lata is not only responsible for stabilizing the lateral side of the knee joint, but also for the stability of the hip joint during the whole process of walking and movement of the human body , In the long run, tension has become the normal state of the tensor fascia lata, and the iliotibial band is also tense. When the entire iliotibial band is too tight, it will rub and compress the lateral epicondyle of the femur, causing pain on the outside of the knee joint (the most obvious when the knee joint is flexed 30 degrees), resulting in aseptic inflammation, etc. At the same time, the excessively tight iliotibial band syndrome not only makes the knee joint uncomfortable, but also makes the hip joint uncomfortable, and the often mentioned hip snapping is also related to it.
How to solve the iliotibial band syndrome
After reading the article, we also know that the root of the problem is not the iliotibial band, but the fascia lata Tightness and weakness of the tensor and gluteal muscles. Because of the tough and thick characteristics of the iliotibial band, the relaxation effect is not very obvious. Therefore, more treatment ideas should be placed on the muscle groups around the iliotibial band to relax, such as tensor fascia lata and vastus lateralis. , hip muscles, etc., while strengthening the weak muscles, such as the gluteus maximus and gluteus medius. It should be noted here that if the problem is serious, it is recommended to see a doctor and listen to the doctor’s relevant suggestions and treatment plans.
First, inhibit tight muscle tissue
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Relax the tensor fascia lata and how to do it: Cross your left leg on the opposite side of your body, then place one hand on the ground to support your body. Use the right arm to assist the movement, use the foam roller to roll down 5~10cm from the upper side of the thigh, roll back and forth, and then switch to the other side to relax.
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Relax the vastus lateralis and the essentials of action:Cross your left leg on the opposite side of your body and place one hand on the ground to support your body. Using the right arm to assist, roll the foam roller from the top of the thigh to the knee, roll back and forth, then switch to the other side and relax.
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Relax the hip muscles and exercise essentials: Place the foam roller under your hips, then bend one leg and lean your body so that one hip bears the most weight, roll back and forth, then switch to the other side to relax.
If the user has strong pain tolerance, they can press directly on the target area for 30 seconds. If it is relatively weak, they can press on the position close to the target area for 60~90 seconds. 2-3 sets of each of the above actions are sufficient.
Second, strengthen weak muscle tissue
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Clam opening and closing and action essentials: Lie down on your side, use your arms to support your head, bend your hips to a position of about 45 degrees, The legs are placed on top of the right leg where they overlap. While keeping the right leg still, open the left leg to abduction and external rotation. Contract when you reach the peak, then resume the movement. Be careful not to separate your feet when doing the movement. After 8-12 reps on one side, switch to the other side.
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Glute bridge and action essentials:Supine On the ground, the distance between the feet and the hips is the same as the hip. After the action starts, tighten the hip muscles, gradually lift the lower back, and then lift the entire shoulder blade off the ground. When the hips, lower back and shoulders are level, the peak contraction maintains the hip muscles The group tightens the state, and then the action resumes.
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Lateral leg lift and action essentials: Lie on your side, support your head with your arms, and keep your whole body horizontal. While keeping the right leg still, use the hip force to lift the left leg sideways and horizontally, and perform the abduction of the buttocks. Contract when you reach the peak, then resume the movement. After 8-12 reps on one side, switch to the other side.
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Kettlebell swing and action essentials: At the beginning, bend the hips and knees to pull the kettlebell up and swing it between the legs. During the movement, keep the knees slightly bent and use the strength of the hips to swing the kettlebell to eye level. When descending, use the inertia of the kettlebell to flex the hips and knees, and then use the power of the hip joint to swing the kettlebell, and so on.Note that the main force of the kettlebell swing is the hip joint and the rear side chain of the body
4~6 sets of each of the above movements, each set of 8~12RM, you can load the weight or do it with bare hands according to your personal situation.
< p>Third, integrate actions
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Unilateral static contraction against the wall and key points of action: During the whole process, flex the hip and knee, maintain the neutral position of the hip joint, and experience the feeling of the gluteus medius exerting force. Yes.The goal is twofold: one is to feel and learn to engage the gluteus medius, and the other is to re-establish neuromuscular recruitment patterns to allow the correct neural scheduling to control your muscles. In addition, if the body has incorrect biomechanics and joint alignment problems, such as excessive internal rotation of the foot or inclination of the pelvis, it is also necessary to correct the posture. At the same time, when resuming training, the amount of exercise should also be appropriately reduced, and gradually Increase the exercise load, constantly feel the strength of the hips and strengthen the correct running posture.
Concluding remarks
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For the vast majority of small partners, the problem of iliotibial band syndrome can be solved by simple Rehabilitation exercise is good for healing, such as rest, reducing the amount of exercise or seeing a doctor, etc., but in order to fundamentally solve the problem and keep running, you must find the root cause of the problem, such as biomechanical problems, muscle tension and weakness Wait. Therefore, the more knowledge of exercise science, the better we can achieve our goals, and also help us identify analytical problems. Again, fitness is not about strength, but science. Come on, everyone. Let’s encourage each other.