If you're a runner, have IT band tightness, hip pain, tight hip flexors, or pain on the outside of the knee it may be your TFL, not your IT band. Stop rolling your IT band and work on your TFL instead; you'll be much happier in the end.

The TFL is tight often because the iliacus (part of the iliopsoas and a primary hip flexor) is tight as well. The TfL is also a hip flexor; it's a relatively small muscle that is located right where the pocket would be on most pants. It then travels down and blends with the IT band (which is why releasing this muscle has such a huge effect on the IT band).

If you have a tight IT band, stretching the TFL will help. And it can also help you resolve issues with an anterior rotation of your pelvis and tightness in your iliacus and other hip flexors.

We recommend using the Hip Hook to release the iliacus first. Then move on to enough to the TFL. To achieve that you will need a small ball to release the TFL, like a lacrosse ball or something no larger than a tennis ball. This is a pretty small muscle, so we want to use something little enough to get at it effectively.

When pressing on the TFL, some things to note can cause pain or weird sensations that travel down the leg even into your shin.
So if you experienced that, when you're doing this release, you know that you have a trigger point there. You know how important it's going to be to maintain prolonged pressure on that spot.

So to find that muscle, you are going to lie on your back.

Put your hands on your hips right at that bony part I was showing on the model. Your iliacus is in the inside of that bony part. And on the outside of that bony part is where the TFL is. Once you identify that spot, you're going to place the ball there and roll on top of the ball, making sure to hold it in place. From this position, you may already feel some tension, which is an excellent place to start.

Don't stop there; once you have maintained pressure long enough and feel a release of tension, its time to move to an even better spot. The perfect spot to get at the TFL is to bring your top leg over the bottom leg. This angle should hit the TFL perfectly. Sit here for 3090 seconds to make sure you're effectively releasing the TFL muscle.

Stop rolling your IT band and work on your TFL instead; you'll be much happier in the end.

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Created by a physical therapist, the Hip Hook is the world’s first tool designed for psoas release AND iliacus release. Just a few minutes a day with the Hip Hook can provide longterm pain relief to the lower back, hips, tailbone, knees, and feet.

Tightness in the iliacus and psoas is directly connected to many different kinds of pain throughout the body because its tightness rotates the pelvis and twists the body out of alignment. These patterns are uncovered in the bestselling book "Tight Hip, Twisted Core The Key to Unresolved Pain" by Christine Koth, MPT.

Learn more about the Hip Hook throughout our YouTube channel and on our website.

Hip Hook https://www.alethahealth.com/thehip...
Tight Hip Twisted Core Book https://www.alethahealth.com/tighthi...
Aletha Website https://www.alethahealth.com/
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While there are many users of the Hip Hook with hip pain pain who have been successful and experienced positive results, it is recommended that you please consult with your healthcare practitioner before using this muscle release tool to assess your particular situation.