Daily Mobility Exercises by Dr. Kelly Starrett › Forums › General › Chronic IT band/quad TIGHTNESS and knee pain (chondromalacia patella?) for 6 years! › Re: Chronic IT band/quad TIGHTNESS and knee pain (chondromalacia patella?) for 6 years!

11/04/2014 at 1:27 am #75437
AvatarRyan Cloutier
Member
My progress is still up and down but my knee pain and IT band tightness is still improving:

1) 4 treatments of Rolfing – I am doing weekly visits all the way to 10 treatments. It has helped my posture and tension of my muscles/fascia considerably
2) Physiotherapy visits every 2 weeks for 2 months now – Seeing a PT who specializes in clinical pilates, deep core musculature with over 10 years of experience and an olympic athletes. 
3) At home physio exercises everyday – foam rolling, stretches, diaphragmatic breathing, deep core musculature exercises, pelvic clocks, glute medius exercises (side lying clamshell with plank position)


Changes:

1) My PT has given me numerous progressions to the exercises I have been doing over 2 months ago. I am no doing similar exercises but while lying on a foam roller for extra stability work as well as single leg balance work. Eventually I will progress to doing standing single leg clamshells (motion: rotate hip and leg while hips are flexed)

2) I have also changed my approach to foam rolling and stretching by utilizing a more softer and gentle approach that elicits no pain and a much slower approach. The rationale behind this is that pain triggers the sympathetic nervous system to tighten your muscles and fascia. If you want to decrease muscle tension you have to trigger the parasympathetic nervous system. Muscle tone is not decreased by the amount of force you apply on your tissue rather its decreased by stimulating the nervous system in a specific way. 

Note: Symptoms are still easily flared and triggered when performing most functional movements especially those involving bending of knees and movements of hips.