Why your knee pain may not be coming from a tight “IT Band”


Aug 25, 2020

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Knee pain is frustrating, am I right? Well, quit rolling out your IT bands and blaming them for your troubles. Instead, look a little inward and a lot lower. Any guess on what areas I’m referring to? If you guessed your hips and ankles, you’re correct.

Your hips and ankles are the two endpoints to your entire leg with your knee being dead center. When one is lacking in range of motion, it’ll affect the other. This can create limitations in movement which can cause compensations (ex: as you squat your feet slowly start to turn out and get wider).

For your hips, these two exercises can help improve hip mobility via external and internal rotation.

  1. Seated Hip Internal rotation: Complete this exercise for a set of 10 reps. The key is to keep both hips on the floor when you bring your knee towards the ground. If your hip does come off the floor, you’ve gone too far.
  2. Side lying hip external rotation: 

    To complete, lay on your side with the front leg bent at 90 degrees. From there, keeping your knee and hip on the floor, lift your foot as high as possible. Once you hit your highest range of motion, place an object that’s at a similar height and complete end range lift offs. Basically, try to lift the foot higher and lift off of the object. Rep scheme: 3 x 10 reps.

    Ankles are next. The full range of motion in the ankles are also important when completing squats, running, Olympic lifts, and even walking. This movement below challenges ankle dorsiflexion (knee over toes).

  3. Low squat ankle rockers: 

    Sit in as low of a squat as you can and rock from side to side. Key is to keep both ankles down as you rock and get your knee as far over your toes as possible. Hold for 2:00, or as long as you’re comfortable.

    Knee pain usually stems from tightness in your hips and ankles, rather than your IT band. These three exercises are just a few of the many found online. I’d recommend completing these daily for improved performance. On another note, muscle cramping IS normal so, don’t shy away from it when completing the exercises. Let us know how you like them! Here’s to getting back to pain-free movement.

    ~Coach Karina, BS-Kinesiology, CF L1 Trainer, USAW Sports Performance Coach