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  Tensor Fascia latae (TFL-ITB) Stretch (standing)

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Standing Tensor Fascia latae (TFL-ITB) Stretch:- Start Position
  1. Stand with your left toe touching your right heel and your feet at right angles to eachother.
  2. Place your hands on your hips - use your hands on your hips to remind you that the side bend is applied to the hip joint, & not to the lower back.
  3. Pelvic Neutral
  4. Anchor your scapulas.
  5. Chin gently tucked.
Standing Tensor Fascia latae (TFL-ITB) Stretch:- Action
  1. Maintain zip and hollow and breathe in.
  2. (Breathing out): Lean to your right, with the movement happening in the hip joint.
  3. Hold, and breathe in. Feel the stretch in the TFL muscle at the side of the hip bone, (it should be under your left hand).
  4. Hold the stretch for 2 breaths.
  5. (Breathing out): Return to upright.
  6. Five times each leg!
  7. Walk a few steps to let the TFL relax back to normal length.
(Tensor Fascia lata (TFL-ITB) Stretch Scroll right>>>...)
Pictures: TFL-ITB Stretch (Standing) -
Start Position:-
TFL-ITB Stretch (Standing) Action
Action:-
TFL-ITB Stretch (Standing )Start Position
Picture: The TFL and related structures:- Picture

What the Standing Tensor Fascia latae Stretch does-
  • Stretches the Tensor fascia lata and Iliotibial band.
Watch Points for Tensor Fascia latae Stretch:-
  • Maintain a strong "zip and hollow".
  • Do not side bend at the abdominal level!
  • Maintain scapular anchor.
 Comments

The Tensor fascia lata tends to:
  1. become the dominant hip flexor for forward knee drive when walking and running (this should be the work of the Iliopsoas and Sartorius muscle groups).
  2. become the dominant lateral fascia tensioner during stance phase of gait (it should actually share this function with the Gluteus maximus)(3).
As a result, it becomes overworked, and tires easily; it shortens and looses its fine control. The imbalances in muscle force and length patterns around the upper thigh lead to "hip medial rotation" and/or "hip adduction syndromes(1). A "lesion based" diagnosis labels these conditions "trochanteric bursitis" and Iliotibial band friction syndrome"(2). See Lying Iliotibial band stretch for further comments.

Reference
  1. Shirley A Sahrman: "Movement Impairment Syndromes" Publ. Mosby, 2002 ISBN 0-8016-7205-8
  2. Bruckner P, Khan K: "Clinical Sports Medicine", Second Edition. Publ. McGraw-Hill Australia 2001. ISBN 0 074 71108 3
  3. Bruce Thomson Engage Gluteus maximus!

(tensor fascia latae stretch © Bruce Thomson, EasyVigour Project scroll up^^^^....)