Runners!

[zellparis]

What are the common ailments you see and work with for endurance runners?

 

[Tapioca Is A Pipe Bomb!]

Note to sel... get back to this.

 

[Alion]

I would say my runners have very tight IT bands. Typically it's like a thin sheet of incredibly dense tissue that seems like it would take hours of work to loosen up in any meaningful way. I use a lot of friction and heat to address the area.

 

[Pancakes]

I would say my runners have very tight IT bands. Typically it's like a thin sheet of incredibly dense tissue that seems like it would take hours of work to loosen up in any meaningful way. I use a lot of friction and heat to address the area.

Would it be more prudent to work the muscles that attach to the IT band rather than the IT band itself? The Med. and Min Glute and the TFL? What has been your experience with that?

 

[Naomi C]

Well of course you work the glutes/tfl--it's not an either/or kind of thing. At the same time I typically will address the hip flexors also. I guess I treat the are as a whole, with detail work as indicated. I think I spend a fair amount of time working all attachments and doing stretching, as well as working on the muscle bellies.

 

[Yahoo! Answers Team]

When I learned sports massage, we pretty much massaged the whole lower body, did pin and stretch, positional realease and active assisted lengthening. Paid a little more attention to IT Band/TFL, quad attachments, achilles tendon and plantar fascia. Also looked for trigger points. Some of this work wouldn't be done before a race but is good for maintenanace and post-race.

 

[MrNeutral]

Would it be more prudent to work the muscles that attach to the IT band rather than the IT band itself? The Med. and Min Glute and the TFL? What has been your experience with that?

Yes, impossible to release the IT band without addressing TFL, glute min/med AND Maximus. Hypertonic Glute Max has a huge impact on ITB.

 

[Legend Destroyer!]

Would it be more prudent to work the muscles that attach to the IT band rather than the IT band itself? The Med. and Min Glute and the TFL? What has been your experience with that?

Yes, impossible to release the IT band without addressing TFL, glute min/med AND Maximus. Hypertonic Glute Max has a huge impact on ITB.

What technique have you found to work well with hypertonic glute max? I read somewhere recently (Lowe I think, but I was skimming) that stripping works well for hypertonicity. What say you in your experience?

 

[Richard L]

slow and deep "stripping" from origin to insertion. You can also use kinetic movement, during the stroke - bend the knee and have them actively internally rotate the femur as you sink into the tissue. AIS is helpful too.