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!

#74284
AvatarPawan Lalwani
Participant

Kefu, I’ve noticed a couple of the same things you have in regards to TFL activation.  When doing side lying abduction exercises with my knee straight and doing an isometric hold of an exercise ball against the wall I noticed TFL started firing a bunch once I got fatigued.  Have recently switched to side lying abduction with knee bent, seems not to recruit the TFL as much or X-Band walks. 

I am mostly pain free and IT band tightness has been much better for the last week after focusing on smashing lower body, but TFLs are both still very tight most of the time.  I’m also getting slight twinges of medial knee pain, which is new.  Think this might have to do with tight/weak adductors.  I’ve always felt my adductors have been tight so I just recently started focusing some more time on them, either foam rolling or lightly smashing, as they are pretty tender.  They are also the first muscle group that cramps up on me during or after a hard effort on the bike.  Smashing I have been focusing on vastus lateralis, rectus femoris, and anterior tibialis.  Need to start looking at the calves as well.  Have been leaving out squats for now as those seemed to irritate my lateral knee. 

I’ve also started adding some more core work in as I was only doing side planks previously.  Throwing a 12 lb ball against the wall then catching it in a situp position seems to really fire up the main core muscles/stabilizers.  Feel like I am making progress, but also finding other areas I need to work on as I go. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qa0SHHIOyyg