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Courtesy of an article from the foam roller guide.....

Using foam roller for IT band is one of the most common used for the tool. This is because the Iliotibial band or the muscle found at our outside thigh is one of the most used and usually injured tissues in the body. In fact, over use of the muscle causes the Iliotibial band syndrome, an inflammation of the area that often shows up in athletes. Since the condition can be very painful, it usually prevents them from performing at top form, making it essential to take care of the problem quickly.

Foam Roller for IT Band

Using a foam roller for IT Band problems is one of the most effective techniques to solve this problem. A foam roller which is popular for its Myofasial Release properties manages to release the tension trapped in the IT Band, allowing the pain to be gone faster.

Of course, there are also other methods used for this problem, but so far, a foam roller for IT band pains is the most common one used. In fact, it has been the choice of most athletes, finding it not only effective but very versatile since they can use it for other body parts.

Following are IT Band exercises using the foam roller.

IT Band Roll

Place the foam roller on the ground and begin with lying on your side. The foam roll should be resting on your IT band area, just below the hip. Prop your elbows in order to maintain the position. You could also cross one leg on top of the other to increase the pressure or you could just let it be there for balance. To achieve maximum pressure, heavily rest on leg on top of the other. Now, start rolling slowly but heavily downwards until you are near your knees. After that, slowly climb back, stopping in specifically painful points for longer periods of time. You can do this for two to three minutes, depending on how you asses yourself.

Glute Roll

Of course, the IT Band area is also connected to other tissues, making it necessary to exercise this too as much as possible. For the glute roll, the foam must be situated directly under your butt. You don’t have to use your hands to lift your upper body here, just lie on your back at a relaxed position. Now, start rolling the foam towards the injured area before rolling back. Like in the IT Band roll, try to increase pressure on painful areas and linger there for some time to squeeze out the tension. Do this for two to three minutes.

At first, the exercise can be painful since you are just starting out on the Myofascial release but after some time, the pain will soon fade away, allowing the muscle to relax. Keep in mind to maintain proper balance so that you don’t injure the body part rather than cure it. Aside from the IT band, the foam roller may also be used in different body parts, wherever pain or tension is felt.

這是取自按摩滾筒說明書……

我們經常利用按摩滾筒去改善大腿外側肌肉繃緊的問題，因為骼脛束以及周邊肌肉是我們常用也是最容易弄傷的地方。事實上，過分使用肌肉會導致髂脛束發炎症候群，這是一種運動員常有的炎症。患者的肌肉會非常疼痛，通常會暫停密集訓練，以加快康復進度。

按摩滾筒: 針對大腿外側肌肉

利用按摩滾筒去改善大腿外側肌肉的問題是其中一個有效的方法。按摩滾筒是一個專門針對肌筋膜疼痛，以減輕肌筋膜壓力，所以想加快改善骼脛束以及周邊肌肉繃緊的情況，按摩滾筒是個很好的選擇。

當然，要解決骼脛束繃緊的問題有很多不同的方法，可是我們相信使用按摩滾筒是普遍的解決方法。事實上，很多運動員都的使用它而且有很高評價，認為它不但有效還能應用在其他身體部位。

下面是以按摩滾筒針對骼脛束繃緊問題的訓練。

骼脛束按摩

先將按摩滾筒放在地上並平躺在地上。按摩滾筒應該放在您的骼脛束位置，即在臀部下方。支撐住您的手肘以維持整個姿勢。如果您想增加身體的壓力，可以把腳疊起（壓力程度視乎您如何把一隻腳的力量壓在另一隻上），當然您可以選擇雙腳著地以作平衡。現在，開始慢慢而有力量地滾動直到膝部。接著，慢慢還原回到骼脛束位置，停留長一點時間於比較疼痛的部位。重覆動作大約２、３分鐘，視乎您的身體所需。

臀部按摩

當然，一些骼脛束連接的其他部位都需要運動，才能加快改善問題。在臀部按摩方面，按摩滾筒必須放在您的臀部底。您不需要用手支撐昔身體，只需放鬆背部並躺在地上。現在，來回按摩您的疼痛處。您也可以適當地加壓並稍作停留以舒緩繃緊的肌肉。重覆整套動作２－３分鐘。

初期，您肌筋膜會感到疼痛，但當動作重覆多次，您的肌肉開始放鬆並感到舒適。請謹記要保持身體平衡以避免弄傷身體。按摩滾筒除了能按摩骼脛束外，其他身體部位也能使用，以舒緩疼痛及繃緊情況。

Hi all,

As you may know, Polestar Pilates Asia recently hosted a Pilates and Somatic Movement Conference in Hong Kong (beginning of April 2011). T8 Fitness were proud to be one of the sponsors and we had a great time - as you can tell from the pictures of us posing on Facebook!
We were fortunate enough to spend quite a bit of time with Deborah Lessen while she was here for the conference (Pilates Expert and Former President of the Pilates Method Alliance). We took the opportunity to pick her brains a little bit about Pilates Exercise on the Mat:

It's very important, says Deborah Lessen, that we pay attention to the details right from the "get-go". This means making sure that we move well in the beginning of a session and make initial relationships. I (and you) know from personal experience that mind and body needs to be focused and in sync right from the start of your session in order to get the maximum benefit from your training. For this reason, Deborah recommends the following three exercises to get any mat session off to a good start.......READ ARTICLE

Are you T8 Fit? Give some of these exercises a go and you will be well on your way!

Ash

大家好，

不知您是否知道，亞洲Polestar普拉提最近在香港舉行了普拉提和身體運動大會（2011年4月開始）。T8 Fitness很榮幸能成為贊助商之一，當日我們都有一個很愉快的時間– 您可以從我們的Facebook上的照片看到！

我們很幸運地在大會內花了相當多的時間與Deborah Lessen（普拉提專家、普拉提方法聯盟前主席）談話。我們因此與她對普拉提墊訓練的想法更接迎了點：

「這是非常重要的。」Deborah說。我們打從一開始，就要注重所有細節。這意味著我們要確保訓練能流暢地進行從而建立很好的關係。從個人的經驗裡，我（和您）都知道，想要從您的訓練中獲得最大的益處，心靈和身體上的集中和同步是很重要的。因此，Deborah建議了以下三個練習，令您可以在任何軟墊訓練裡都有個良好的開端.......詳細閱讀內文

您是T8Fitness的成員嗎？不論如何，您也可以嘗試各種不同的訓練！

加油！