Oh hey, it's Dr. Jo! We're just doing an 80s tribute here in the studio, and today we are
going to talk about the IT band. Now the IT band can get stiff and sore really easy, and
a lot of times runners will get it, if you're training for a 5k or marathon. You're IT band
is on the outside of your leg, and it starts up at your hip, and goes all the way down
and it actually crosses over your knee. So you can have hip pain, you can have knee pain,
you can have anywhere in between, or all of the above. So what we'll do today is start
off with some simple standing stretches for the IT band, and let's get started and do
some stretches. Alright, first stretch that I'm going to have you do is you're just going
to come up and find a wall. Maybe a little more space than here, but this is what I'm
gonna show you. Let's say my IT band is on my left side is the tight one. So what you're
gonna do, is you wanna be on that side, the side that's injured it going to be closest
to the wall. You're going to step right next to it, and what you are going to do is take
that injured side and put it behind the good side. So it's going to be in the back. What
you want to do is try to keep that leg straight as possible, and you want to try to keep the
front leg as straight as possible. The you're going to push your hip towards the wall, almost
like your trying to tag the wall with your hip. You can turn your foot a little bit,
that might give a little more stretch in the IT band. So what you're going to do it hold
that stretch for 30 seconds, and you're going to do that 3 times. Make sure when you come
back, you kind of shake it out. Let it loosen up, and then go back behind the body, and
you can even stretch it back a little, but curl that foot over, bring that hip to the
wall, and it will get you a stretch. So the next couple of stretches we are going to do
on the ground. So let's go ahead and get down on our backs. So what I am going to have you
do now is lie down on your back, and this is the time to get a belt or a dog leash,
and what I'm going to have you do is just put it on the bottom of your foot. You want
to stretch your leg out, you don't want to bend the knee, keep it straight. The bring
your leg up pretty high, and slowly drop that leg across your body. You'll be able to tell,
you'll be able to feel it. Same kind of thing, you'll hold that stretch for 30 seconds. The
key with this one is, don't let your whole body go over, because that's not going to
be a good stretch. You wanna keep your hips down, and let that leg drop over. You should
feel that stretch all the way through the outside of your leg. Good. The next one you
can do, is roll over onto your side. Now the injured leg is on top. So this is my injured
side now. What you are going to do to make sure that IT band goes over the bony part
here, your going to lift your leg up and go back, and then drop it down. So the best place
to do this on the edge of your bed or the edge of a couch or something so you can drop
your leg down past the ground, and just let it hang and relax your body, and that's going
to stretch the band out a little bit. And the last stretch I'm going to have you do,
is pull out your handy dandy noodle again. Now we are going back to the left side. My
left side is the one that's injured. What you are going to do, you're going to be on
your side. Start with the roll all the way up on your hip where the IT band starts, and
what you are going to do is slowly roll your leg all the way down to your knee and back
up, and that's going to give it a really good stretch. Lots of times people feel like this
actually hurts just a little, but it's going to be a good stretch for that IT band. Alright,
well there you have it. Those are you're IT band stretches. So if you like those stretches
or if you love the 80s, and if you love my hair, click like, and please comment on maybe
your favorite 80s song. We love 80s music around here. If you want to see more exercise
videos and educational videos, please go to my website askdoctorjo.com And remember have
fun, be safe, and I hope you totally get better ya'll!