You will need some kind of pole, preferably a hollow one, and a tennis ball. Before we get started, I just want to mention quickly that I wrote another post that is equally as important as this one that’ll take you through releasing the biggest hip flexor muscle (the Psoas). Observations: Notice if one or both your knees are caving in and rotating inwards: If one or both of your knees cave in, your TFL on either or both sides is very overactive. How to release ITB and TFL muscles. No TFL, glute max, or piriformis activation during this exercise. These include (and are not limited) to: low back and SI pain, hip pain, knee pain, shin splints, heel and ankle issues, lateral or medial knee shifts (with or without pain) and less commonly mid back pain, shoulder and neck issues. The foam roller exercise alleviated 90% of the pain almost instantly, I’ll be doing this one daily!!! So just breathe deeply, and rest there for about 20-30 seconds. This muscle loves to try to take over for other muscles, especially our glute medius . The Tensor Fascia Latae (also spelled Tensor Fasciae Latae or Tensor Fascia Lata, but commonly referred to as the TFL) is a small muscle that lies just in front of the hip joint. Meaning…it is never my go-to ONE area of the body to target, if I were limited to choosing only one area to release. So if you’re experiencing any of these things, take a break now. I'm here to help you get permanent relief from piriformis, hip, and lower back pain without spending years in pain suffering through information overwhelm or temporary fixes. Use that information to get to know your body and its patterns, and that data will help you know what to do next. Sometimes it’s the simplest studies that make the most impact. Tensor fasciae latae exercises can help heal damaged muscles. The TFL is a multi-tasker. © 2020 Mobility Mastery | Privacy Policy | Designed by Earth Coast | All Rights Reserved. The best time to practise a sequence like this is after exercise or a long hard day at the office. I've been through the chronic pain journey myself. The TFL is a tiny muscle located above the IT band. Right? A trigger point is a group of muscle tissue that feels like a firm clump of muscle in a ball the size of a pea and a golf ball. If it’s extremely tight that you can’t even rest on it for a few seconds. The TFL muscle is enclosed by the fascia lata and distally the muscle fibers coalesce with the iliotibial tract. Everytime I feel some soreness on my hip, I do it, and it ALWAYS helps. Thank you SO much for posting this amazing content! Log in or register to post comments; Comments. Hi Vanessa, I’ve tried it maybe once yeaars ago when I was still in pain. A few words about commonly used tools and techniques for TFL release: I have seen (and tried) all the commonly used ways to target the TFL, including using a foam roller, a lacrosse ball on the floor or against a wall, a baseball on the floor etc. https://www.coachsofiafitness.com/tfl-muscle-release-technique Go ahead and perform a bodyweight squat. It’s very surprising to see all the flawed movement patterns we engage in that we’re not aware of). You can find out by performing a simple squat test…. Ball Release for TFL: Lie on your side as shown, and place a small ball under your TFL (feel for the muscular pocket between the pelvis and femur). If you are dealing with hip or back pain and would like to know how we can help, call or text us at (512) 693-8849.. Any suggestions? This muscle does a lot… It fires up in all 3 planes of motion (adduction, rotation, and flexion) and tends to get extremely tight as a result. Go after it. I do include thorough assessments inside my program Piriformis Control, but I included a short one for you below. After logging in you can close it and return to this page. To perform a self-myofascial release, you’ll need a high-quality foam roller. Hi Diane, the Tensor Fascia Latae is a muscle enclosed in layers of fascia but it’s a muscle that flexes, abducts and also internally rotates the hip. It does hip flexion, hip abduction, internal rotation, and it even internally rotates the lower leg through its attachment to the IT band. I hope this post was helpful. You want to maintain muscle balance at all times to avoid dysfunction. Lastly, if you never work your arches, your feet will collapse in. Log in or register to post comments; Join Us Today and Get 2 Months Free. The login page will open in a new tab. It’s very likely the muscle is extremely tight. How the Tensor Fascia Lata (TFL) Causes Hip Pain :You’re always transferring force from one leg to another: walking up and down the stairs, standing on one leg to put your pants on, or getting in and out of your car to name a few scenarios. I've searched for a TFL stretch that actually stretches that area, and this is the best I've found! I am so happy I’ve finally figured out how to address this in a way that mimics what I do with my private clients! TFL jumps on board to help piriformis out, becoming tight. I just wanted to mention that first so you don’t forget to check it out. What you can do is to actually place the roller against the wall and just press against it. In my 8 years of working with fascia for pain relief and mastering mobility, I’ve never seen the fascia within the TFL play the primary role in what I call a “pain pattern.” (Low back pain, knee pain, hip pain etc). I’m seeing a chiropractor, but my muscles pull my back out of alignment again in a short time. ), 10 Piriformis Strengthening Exercises That Work, 9 Effective Hip Strengthening Exercises For Hip Pain, How To Sleep With Piriformis Syndrome And Sciatica (Best Sleeping Positions! Tight TFL prevents glutes from fully firing. bloodsun17 8 years ago. So again…take your time, move slowly, adjust as necessary and keep going. 1. A few words about commonly used tools and techniques for TFL release: I have seen (and tried) all the commonly used ways to target the TFL, including using a foam roller, a lacrosse ball on the floor or against a wall, a baseball on the floor etc. It helps to keep the balance of the pelvis while standing, walking, and running . And yet this complex muscle has rarely been mentioned as a potential root cause. Finally, putting a trigger point ball on the TFL and laying on it, then rotating your hip can help to release the muscle from the surrounding connective tissues. Lose the Shoes. The tensor fasciae latae (or tensor fasciæ latæ or, formerly, tensor vaginae femoris) is a muscle of the thigh. First, I recommend reading another post of mine that talks about low back pain. This starts with getting curious and being willing to investigate where your own body’s imbalances exist. There is no one I … The RISK of releasing the TFL without first taking care of the primary players is (again, this is my opinion) a neurological freak-out because you’ve just released one of the muscles recruited to keep your pelvis stable but you haven’t taken care of the big bullies that are destabilizing it to begin with. Hey there, I'm Sofia. Here’s a video demonstrating foam rolling techniques such as TFL release … Very informative and you did excellent assist to them. The TFL is an important hip flexor muscle There are a LOT of reasons to investigate and release the fascia in one or both areas of your TFL. This chronic tightness causes hip instability, pain, and dysfunction including piriformis syndrome pain. Just squat as you’d normally do. The TFL muscle accelerates hip flexion, abduction, and internal rotation (again working in all 3 planes of motion: flexion, abduction, and rotation). So find a quiet place, … And one muscle we need to pay more attention to is the TFL! Remember: massaging a muscle, rolling around on it or compressing it to “melt” the soft tissue is NOT what I teach; here on Mobility Mastery I’m always trying to mimic what I do with my private clients, which is a pin, release and stretch of the fascia. Before we release the TFL, we need to learn where it’s located and how to properly place the foam roller to effectively release the trigger points. The TFL is not a muscle. After you’re done, get up, walk around and notice what happened. Full disclosure: this post contains affiliate links. Muscle Groups. I prefer using the Roll Recovery R8 roller or a tennis ball. You can also have someone anchor the roller to the wall while you use it so it’s stable. Self-Myofascial Release (SMR) is a game changer when it comes to workout recovery and pain release. And you know what…it may work. There are a few ways to treat TFL pain. Welcome to my blog! It has a very long tendon, called the iliotibial tract or IT Band, that travels all the way down the outside of the thigh to attach just under the knee joint. Activities like walking, bending and moving around can get affected if the muscles of the thighs and hip are injured. It has been my repeated experience that in order to permanently reverse a pain pattern, the primary players must be taken care of FIRST, before helping those areas that have been recruited by the brain. This will help EVEN OUT your pelvis if there is an imbalance. Fantastic. The TFL or tensor fasciae latae is a small muscle on the outside of the hip. You won’t pay more! I’m so glad the video was helpful . Professional and recreational athletes depend on strong hip muscles for speed, endurance and strength. So it tends to get very tight and overactive. ), 7 Effective Core Exercises For Back Pain Relief (PDF Included! You can also perform a backward lunge and see if your knee moves inwards. I’m currently using a walker to walk because it’s extremely painful, most times a 10…help! I was never impressed with ANY of these methods or tools because it was always my experience that a) it was VERY difficult to accurately find the correct spot and stay on it, and b) because of the nature of HOW these techniques must be performed (lying on your side on a mobility tool), I always felt like my body weight was SQUISHING my TFL far too much to allow for a true pin and stretch release. The tensor fascia latae (TFL) is a hip muscle that is well known to rehabilitation therapists and allied health practitioners. (Ankles affect knees which affect hips which affect shoulders, and vice versa). You need to find this on yourself and get the tennis ball where my heel is in those pictures. You may feel better for a few hours or a day, but chances are pretty good your pain will come back worse and your TFL will tense up even more (this is neuroligical tightness, not tightness from overuse which will be true with your quads, ITB or adductors). Right there! Then, you’re going to take your bent knee and drop it until it touches the floor. If the TFL is consciously kept flexible, it will help in keeping the body injury free as well as being fit. It’s facing the front and also the side…right on the corner. How to beat piriformis syndrome without spending years in pain. It is facia. They will also affect exercise pattern. A longer foam roller would be perfect but a medium one can get the job done as well. Whatever happens is GOOD INFORMATION. The TFL is usually (not always, but usually), one of those areas recruited by the brain when something like low back pain is occurring. A tight TFL muscle then stops your glutes from being used properly when running, meaning they also stay weak; Continued use of the TFL muscle (instead of the correct flute use) then leads to injury. You’ll likely need to keep adjusting the tennis ball as you move your leg, to keep it in the right spot. The muscle assists in keeping the balance of the pelvis while standing, walking, or running.