Issue link: https://www.massageandbodyworkdigital.com/i/77400
FUNCTIONAL ANATOMY Seen in a broader view, the iliotibial band has a strong connection to the thoracolumbar fascia. Together, these structures form a stabilizing "horseshoe" extending from the small of the back, laterally down each thigh, to the outside of the knee. Shortness or fascial adhesions here create excessive tension in the low back as the leg is pulled forward. This may be felt as tension or pain in the low back during walking, running, driving, ascending or descending stairs, or when sitting down. Limitations in hip adduction, both actively and passively, would be noted along with palpable tension and adherence to the underlying vastus lateralis muscle. Client Homework: Standing Iliotibial Band Stretch 1. Stand up straight and tall. 2. grasp a fi xed object with one hand. 3. cross the outside foot slightly behind and around the other. 4. keeping your knees slightly bent, gently thrust your hips to the side, away from your grasping hand, until you feel a stretch. 5. Focus and increase the stretch by bowing and elongating your whole body as you exhale. Editor's Note: The Client Homework element in Functional Anatomy is intended as a take-home resource for clients experiencing issues with the profi led muscle. The stretches identifi ed in Functional Anatomy should not be performed within massage sessions or progressed by massage therapists, in order to comply with state laws and maintain scope of practice. PALPATING THE TENSOR FASCIAE LATAE AND ILIOTIBIAL BAND Positioning: client side-lying with hip and knee slightly fl exed. Bolster for comfort. 1. Stand at the client's side, face the thigh, and locate the lateral femoral condyle with the palm of one hand. 2. Slide your palm proximally toward the greater trochanter. 3. Palpate the fi bers of the iliotibial band along the lateral thigh. 4. Follow the tendon proximally and anteriorly to the belly of the tensor fasciae latae. 5. Resist as the client abducts the hip to assure proper location. therapist, certifi ed athletic trainer, and certifi ed strength and conditioning specialist. Her private practice focuses on injury treatment, biomechanical analysis, craniosacral therapy, and massage for clients with neurological issues. She is the author of Functional Anatomy: Kinesiology and Palpation for Manual Therapists (Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2009). Contact her at functionalbook@hotmail.com. Christy Cael is a licensed massage 92 massage & bodywork march/april 2011