Fitness: Pickleball IT Band Stretching Routine

This Fitness Tip was submitted by Barbara Wintroub, author of Fighting Gravity. 

This week I have had terrible pain on the outside of my right knee.  So bad I couldn’t bend my knees to pick up the Pickleball.  Oh boy, I thought, I’ve finally torn a meniscus.  I decided to spend time stretching my IT Band before I see someone.  The IT Band stretches from the hip to the knee over a fluid filled sac near the knee called a bursa.  When this tendon tightens it causes a pinching pain in both the hip and the knee.  I have both. If you let this go on too long the pain becomes chronic because of the inflammation and it’s very difficult to get rid of. I stretched vigorously for days and I’m happy to report the pain is almost gone.  Let’s hear it for stretching.

Here are two of the exercises that helped me.

Stretch #1: Cross your foot over opposite knee. Should look like the “Number 4.” Hold while gravity pulls knee toward the floor. Change legs and repeat. The second image is a variation of this exercise.

Bring your knee toward your chest, stretching opposite leg. Hold and breathe. Change legs and repeat.

Stretch #2: Place your right foot behind the left. Stretch to the left. Feel the stretch at your waist. Change legs and repeat. Hold and breathe.