It is very likely that almost every tennis player will experience knee pain at one point in their career. Playing tennis on the hard courts (the only courts in Los Angeles) is tough on the joints and surrounding muscles. The overuse of the quadriceps muscles result in build up of trigger points – extremely painful spots anywhere in your muscles. The trigger points often refer pain to other areas in the body. One common place of tightness and trigger points is the illiotibial band (IT band) – a connective tissue that runs along the outside of the thigh from the hip to the knee, and often causes pain on the outside of the knee. Any lateral movement can be excruciating. This painful condition is called illiotibial band syndrome. There are many factors that can contribute: poor flexibility in the hips, tights, and calves, strength imbalances in the body, incorrect movement mechanics, poor shoes or overtraining. Stretching the IT band helps, but it is not very easy stretch to perform.
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