The combined effect of myofascial release and hip strength training on iliotibial band syndrome: A preliminary randomized controlled trial.

Summary: Have you ever felt a sharp, nagging pain on the outside of your knee while running or exercising? That might be Iliotibial Band Syndrome, or ITBS. Doctors recently tested a new way to treat it. They compared doing just hip strengthening exercises to doing hip exercises plus a special massage called myofascial release.

The study looked at 16 young adults with ITBS. They found that adding the massage helped lower knee pain much faster—in just two weeks! It also helped thin out the swollen band in the knee by week four. However, by the end of the study, both groups had similar improvements in overall knee function. So, if you want faster pain relief to get back on your feet, adding this massage to your workouts looks like a very promising idea.