This is a real human IT band and in today's video, we're going to discuss whether or not
foam rolling the IT band has any real benefits or if it's just causing you needless pain,
discomfort, and maybe even making things worse.
It's going to be a controversial one.
Let's do this!
To start off, this video is going to get into the weeds.
It just couldn't be helped.
We cover a lot of different things, so we've added chapters to the video play head if you
look below that'll make it easier for you to navigate through this video if you choose
to jump around.
However, obviously, it's going to make a lot more sense if you watch the whole video the
entire way through but it's up to you.
We've also listed all the references used to make this video in the description below.
So, if you're up for some light reading, feel free to knock yourself out.
But first, I want to say thank you to the sponsor of today's video, Yogabody Teachers
College.
They specialize in science-based online certification programs for yoga teachers, yoga breathing
coaches, yoga trapeze teachers, and stretching coaches.
If you're interested in starting a new career or side job - helping people improve their
health, overcome injuries, manage stress, and live their best lives longer, Yogabody's
courses might be right for you.
Yogabody takes a science-based business positive approach to yoga.
They turn passionate students into successful teaching professionals.
Since 2007, Yogabody has certified over 23,000 teachers in 41 countries.
They are backed by Yoga Alliance - American Council on Exercise, and even American Council
on Education making them one of the only schools in the world eligible for college credits.
Yogabody has put together a free report for you called "How to choose a yoga teacher training
program".
You can access it immediately at Yogabody.com/iha.
Foam rolling has its roots in what's known as myofascial release.
Among myofascial therapists, there's actually debate as to what's actually considered true
myofascial release.
Some say that only gentle pressure makes a difference while others believe that deep
pressure is required to see any progress at all and of course you're going to find plenty
of people who are somewhere in between.
Regardless though, most would agree that the aim is to release restrictions in a tissue
known as fascia.
We're going to be doing an entire video on fascia in the future because - and this may
come as a surprise to you but the precise definition and classification of fascia is
hotly debated among fascia researchers and anatomist.
So, for our purposes today in this video, I'm going to be defining fascia as the dense
connective tissue that is wrapping and compartmentalizing muscle groups.
Now, fascia is made of primarily collagen proteins which provide it with a high degree
of tensile strength meaning that it resists being pulled apart.
However, you're also going to find fibroblasts, which are the cells that produce those same
collagen proteins but on top of that, you also find other cell types inside of fascia
including telocytes, fasciacytes, and what are known as myofibroblasts.
You also find lubricating fluids permeating the fascial tissue and this is going to assist
in its ability to have gliding movements which are absolutely essential to its function.
But going back to those myofibroblasts, those are going to be extremely important coming
up but for now, just understand that when in comparison to how many fibroblasts and
collagen proteins there are, there are a lot less myofibroblasts at least in healthy tissue.
The collagen proteins are going to be scattered in many different directions given it the
classification Dense Irregular Connective Tissue.
Dense, meaning that there's a lot of them and Irregular meaning that it's scattered.
However, there are locations in the body where the fascia is layered and these individual
layers consist of collagen proteins in a regular orientation, meaning that they all go in the
same direction kind of similar to my fingers here.
However, since it's layered and when you stack those layers on top of one another, it makes
it appear as though they're going in every direction imaginable and so, they look like
they are irregular.
It's this scattering of collagen proteins in the multiple directions that makes fascia
so extremely tough.
Essentially, it helps keep your body together.
In fact, fascia is seen as one continuous chain of collagen proteins that are even penetrating
deeper than the layers going down into the different tissues connecting organ systems
to muscle groups to integumentary layers.
It is so cool.
It's the belief of myofascial therapist that this fascial network of proteins and fluids
can actually form restrictions or adhesions in the fascial tissue and this can cause pain
or limit range of motion or possibly even have a detrimental effect on the organ systems
of the body.
The idea is that through slow and focused manual pressure, you can release those restrictions.
Obviously, then, decreasing pain, increasing range of motion, and even reducing inflammation.
This is why foam rolling is believed to do the exact same thing.
The first documented use of a foam roller for tissue manipulation comes from Doctor
Moshi Feldenkrais, an Israeli nuclear physicist who after suffering a chronic knee injury
applied his knowledge of physics, body mechanics, neurology, learning theory, and psychology
into what's known as the Feldenkrais method which he described being a new understanding
of human function and maturation.
It was one of Dr. Feldenkrais' students that was the first to use a foam roller as a self-massage
tool and over time, it started to make its way into physical therapy and fitness realms
then being described as a self-myofascial release.
The idea is rather straightforward - by using your own body weight, you can apply specific
and focused pressure to these myofascial restrictions thereby releasing them helping with athletic
performance, relieving muscle tension, and even improving range of motion.
And during the past 30 years, foam rollers have evolved into many different shapes and
sizes and have been adopted by many different rehab specialists, personal and athletic trainers
and have found their way into nearly every gym in the entire world.
Iliotibial tract or what most would just call the IT band is one of the most commonly foam
rolled structures in the body.
It actually belongs to a larger fascial sheet of the thigh called the fascia lata.
Now, the fascia lata surrounds the musculature of the thigh but it actually varies in collagen
thickness and density depending on the location.
So, the most lateral aspect of the fascia lata is the thickest and densest and the collagen
proteins here are far more regular in their orientation, meaning that they are more parallel
to one another than the collagen proteins in the rest of the fascia lata.
This thickened and lateral portion of the fascia lata is the IT band.
So what we've done here is cut away most of the fascia lata so we can see the muscular
tissue underneath but we've left the IT band intact.
Now, two skeletal muscles of the hip are actually going to blend into the IT band making it
act as a hybrid of sorts between both fascia and tendon.
Now, the first muscle is this one here called the Tensor Fasciae Latae and you probably
have guessed judging by its name alone that it adds tension to the fascia lata.
The second muscle is the Gluteus Maximus and it's the largest gluteal muscle and it also
happens to be the one that we all know and love.
And as you can see, the IT band runs the hip all the way down to the lateral condyle of
the tibia.
Now, the IT band is uniquely human, serving as a tension strut to help distribute forces
away from the femur.
You see, the femurs aren't completely vertical.
Instead, they come at an angle which is what we call the Quadriceps Angle.
Now, by allowing tension to travel down the IT band, it makes the femur less susceptible
to bending forces and therefore, less susceptible to potential injuries.
The IT band also store energy during locomotion such as walking and running.
So, when the leg has moved backwards during its swinging motion, the IT band stores energy
that is then reclaimed on the way forward, making it act like a biological spring of
sorts and also making humans some of the best runners on the entire planet.
Now that we properly set the stage, I want to ask you two questions; First, what causes
the IT band to become tight?
And second, can and specific pressure actually relieve the tension in the IT band?
Earlier in the video, I mentioned a cell called the myofibroblast.
Now, myofibroblasts are found in other areas of the body besides fascia and they're extremely
important in wound repair scenarios.
So, basically, a myofibroblast can produce collagen just like a normal fibroblast but
then, they're able to contract like a smooth muscle cell, pulling on the collagen generating
tension.
And since they found myofibroblast in side of fascia, it suggests that fascia has contractile
capacity.
It's well known that fascia can contract in pathological states such as Dupuytren's Contracture
where high numbers of myofibroblast have been discovered.
However, it wasn't until recently that researchers found that myofibroblast exist in healthy
fascial tissue that's unaffected by disease.
So, you're probably asking yourself now, "Are myofibroblast responsible or at least partially
responsible for myofascial restrictions?"
and interestingly, it doesn't appear so.
Research suggest that while yes, they are capable of generating tension, it's primarily
there to maintain the structural integrity of fascia.
There simply aren't enough myofibroblast in healthy tissue to generate a statistically
significant amount of tension.
However, some researchers have suggested that maybe they are able to generate enough tension
to irritate neurons that are in the fascia and then that in turn can irritate the underlying
muscle tissue and when gets irritated, muscle tissue is more than capable of generating
enough tension that could create that feeling of tightness but at this point, that's essentially
just speculation.
Inflammation of the IT band is another potential culprit.
Many of you probably heard of IT band syndrome which is a painful condition of IT band inflammation
typically around the knee but it can also happen up in the hip.
Now, the reason why it's so painful is because fascia is loaded with neurons and when the
inflammation hits those neurons, it sends painful signals up to the brain letting you
know that something's wrong.
Now, most often, it's a product of overuse which is why we typically or frequently see
them in runners and cyclist.
Now, interestingly though, foam rolling has been shown to have anti-inflammatory effects.
However, the pressure being applied as well as the overall health and state of the fascial
tissue really comes into play because what can happen and has been shown is that inflammation
can increase due to foam rolling and that's because you're causing more injuries.
So, if inflammation is present, it's minimal at most and at this time, it's not believed
to be responsible for general IT band stiffness.
If you recall, earlier I mentioned that the muscles tensor fascia latae and gluteus maximus
directly insert into the IT band and fascia lata.
Now, obviously, we know that muscles are capable of contraction and that's why they are seen
to be the most likely cause of IT band tightness which this probably makes a ton of sense here,
right?
The muscle contracts, which then pulls on the connective tissue and then causes stiffness
in the joints and discomfort in the fascia due to the pressure being placed on the neurons.
This is also why we have seen that when you release the tension in these muscles, you
tend to see relief from that IT band stiffness.
Now, to answer our second question - can slow and specific pressure on the IT band release
tightness?
Well, based on what we just discussed, you might be wondering why you'd even want to
try.
I mean, after all, if fascia hasn't been shown to contract when healthy and creating more
inflammation is a legitimate possibility, why wouldn't you just focus on the muscles
that have been clearly shown to actually create tightness on the IT bands?
The fact is there isn't a lot of evidence-based research in support of myofascial release
techniques.
On the other hand, there is a ton of anecdotal evidence and while anecdotal evidence is valuable,
the problem is that's all there is.
At this point, there is no rational reason to believe that foam rolling the IT band is
going to do anything for the IT band except make it susceptible to injury and this doesn't
mean that foam rolling in itself is bad.
In fact, foam rolling has been shown to increase blood flow in muscles, improve oxygen saturation
in muscles and as I said earlier, it's been shown to have some anti-inflammatory effects.
Psychologically, foam rolling has been shown to work simply because people believe it will
work.
That in and of itself isn't bad but it's definitely not scientific.
Foam rolling has also been shown to decrease pain post workout but it doesn't do this by
fixing anything as much as it's just distracting the nervous system away from the original
painful source.
Now, again, this isn't really a problem in and of itself, we do this all the time with
other pain relieving medications such as ibuprofen or acetaminophen.
In athletics, research is also starting to suggest that foam rolling might be beneficial
depending on the specific physical activity.
However, it's also showing that it's far more likely to benefit elite athletes rather than
just your average recreational athlete.
Foam rolling has been shown to improve flexibility.
However, those improvements are extremely short lived and disappear only after a few
minutes.
Truth be told, the data suggest that you're far better off just improving your form when
it comes to that physical activity or sport than attempting to have a foam roller accelerate
the process in any capacity.
When it comes to these performance-based studies that have been performed around foam rolling,
unfortunately, a lot of them come with contradictory results which tell me, we really just need
more rigorous data.
My main concern is that it's actually possible to damage blood vessels, muscle tissue, even
bony tissue if you do it improperly and most people are only foam rolling because they
were told by their friend to do it 'cuz they were told by someone who saw another guy doing
it at their local gym.
I hate to be that guy who's like, "We need more data" but sometimes, you actually need
more data on something, especially when it's a foam roller that you can find in pretty
much every gym in the entire world and trust me, if that data comes in and it comes to
show that foam rolling and myofascial release techniques have some legitimate weight behind
them, I will be the first to sing their praises but until then, I am going to stay here and
maintain my healthy dose of skepticism.
Thanks again to Yogabody Teachers College for sponsoring today's video.
Be sure to check out the link in the description below to get your free report on how to choose
a yoga teacher training program.
As always, be sure to Like, comment, subscribe if you feel so inclined and I will see you
in the next video.