Runners, cyclists, hikers, humans, you can finally stop "stretching" and foam rolling your IT bands because I am here to tell you it's not needed. I saw another athlete today who had been advised to stretch and roll her IT band for the last 6 months or so and was still not any better. No more. You do not need to endure the torture of rolling your IT band after every run or ride.

Let's do a review of the anatomy so we are speaking the same language. The IT band or iliotibial band, runs from the crest of your lateral hip to just below the knee joint. It is comprised of fascia, a noncontractile connective tissue. An example of a contractile tissue would be muscle. It is meant to contract and relax. The IT band does not change length in the same way your muscles do.

The most common site of IT band pain is at the lateral knee but it can also irritate the lateral hip.