Side-Lying IT Band Stretch

How to do it

1. Lie on your side with the affected (target) knee on top.
2. Bend your top knee and grab your ankle; you should feel tension in the front thigh (quadriceps).
3. Place your bottom foot against the outside of your top knee.
4. Gently pull the top foot down toward the floor, elongating the outer part of the top thigh.
5. Feel the stretch along the outer thigh and the side of the knee where the IT band crosses.
6. Hold, then release and switch sides.

Form cues

• Keep your bottom knee bent for stability
• Use the bottom foot to guide the top foot toward the floor
• You should feel it along the outer thigh and the side of the knee

Dosage

1 × 5 reps per side

• Frequency: daily
• Volume: 3–5 reps × 15–20 s each side.

Muscles worked

Stretches: it band, tensor fasciae latae, quadriceps

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