Name: Tensor Fascia Latae (TFL) Self-administered Release
Uploaded: 2023-04-26T00:59:50.000Z
Duration: 10 min 33 s

English captions

https://stream.mux.com/Cu1giQMRsQqn6bu8WCEL4AOZGSPeiaAR245FmPVlghQ.m3u8

Learn how to properly perform a tensor fascia latae (TFL) self-administered release in this comprehensive step-by-step instructional video from the Brookbush Institute. This evidence-based video provides expert coaching on setup, positioning, alignment, and technique (including progressions and regressions). Safely reduce TFL hypertonicity, improve lateral hip mobility, and decrease hip and thigh discomfort while supporting optimal lumbopelvic alignment and lower-extremity mechanics. Suitable for all fitness levels. Perfect for athletes, fitness enthusiasts, and rehabilitation clients seeking to reduce pain, improve mobility, and restore optimal movement mechanics while reducing injury risk.

Introduction to Tensor Fascia Lata (TFL) Self-Release Technique

Anatomy of the Tensor Fascia Lata

Selecting Tools for TFL Release

Technique and Application of TFL Release

Identifying Candidates for TFL Release

Executing the Release Technique Effectively

Adjustments and Progression in Release Techniques

Tensor Fascia Latae (TFL) Self-administered Release

This Brent of the Brookbush Institute, and in this video we're going to go over tensor fascia lata or TFL self-administered release technique. I'm going to have my friend Melissa come out, she's going to help me demonstrate this technique. Before we get into the technique itself that, it does help to know a little bit about the anatomy of the tensor fascia lata, where it's located. Alright so if you guys know where your ASIS is, it's just posterior to your ASIS, your anterior superior iliac spine. But let me take it a step back. If you don't know where your anterior superior iliac spine is, find the top of your pelvis, which a lot of people call their hips, which is weird because your hip joints down here. This is your pelvis so if you find the top of your pelvis, your iliac crest as it's called, and you follow it anteriorly all right towards the front, eventually you'll find this bony notch before it all becomes soft tissue. Well firm tissue in Melissa's case because you've got a six-pack going here, right it must be nice. But this bone right before this softer tissue being her rectus abdominis and her obliques, is her anterior superior iliac spine. So right behind that, this soft tissue in here, which I can actually feel some some pretty pretty dense fascicles that are probably going to give her a little tenderness already, that's the tensor fascia lata. Now the next question we have to answer is how broad and how long is this muscle. So if we follow the ASIS and go back up the iliac crest, and then we find the greater trochanter just a few inches below it. So the greater trochanter is another bone, another notch that you can feel right here, that's more related to where your hip joint actually is. So one of the tricks you can do is if you lift your leg and then put it down, lift your leg put it down, you guys might be able to feel the greater trochanter moving underneath the skin, that might help you palpate. So if we go from iliac crest to greater trochanter, that's approximately the length of my TFL. And then if I know where my greater trochanter is, I actually know the breadth as well because it goes from ASIS to just posterior a vertical line from the greater trochanter. Right so we got this about this width and the length from iliac crest to greater trochanter, in kind of a triangle shape. That's what you're going to search with one of our release tools, you got that. Now we're going to add pressure by having her laid down on top of one of these release tools, and we have a few ways to go. We can go cheap and just grab any any ball will work. We use softballs a lot for home exercise programs. This is one of those sand-bell type weighted weighted balls they tend to work really good, if you happen to be in a gym that has them. If you want to take it a step up from there we do love our trigger point materials, and we got a little partnership going with them -only because I was already using their product, I do happen to like it. One thing I like about their products is its PVC pipe rolled with foam, so as the foam breaks down, as you get more advanced it actually gets harder as opposed to a lot of our foam roll products that tend to get softer as you use them, which is not going to be good for your progression. And then if you really really want to take it up a notch, it is at a little different price point, but for the technology it is it's pretty it's really affordable for the technology. It is this is a new product we have fallen in love with called the Hypersphere from Hyperice. And what this does is it vibrates, it vibrates that at a very high frequency. Yeah so by adding vibration what I would assume is happening is on top of stimulating Golgi tendon organs and Ruffini endings to help us get autogenic inhibition, we're going to go ahead and also stimulate our Merkels and Pacinian corpuscles which are vibratory receptors, which may also help us with inhibition at least based on the clinical outcomes; and what we've seen in practice you get really great and effective release from this, and maybe even release was a little bit faster than you do with something like a foam roll or a ball. So I'm going to turn this thing back on, and I'm just going to start it on the low setting here for Melissa. She's going to go right into that area that we were just talking about right, so just behind ASIS. We want to stay off of bones, so you're not going to foam roll a bone away. I want her to roll from ASIS back towards her glutes, but not on her glutes right, and she can roll in between her iliac spine and greater trochanter. And what she's going to look for is the most tender spot, that most tender spot we're going to assume is our our tender pointer or trigger point. Everything else could potentially be a satellite site, which is essentially a referral pain pattern that comes from the original trigger point itself. So you don't want to just chase down every spot guys, you do want to find the most tender spot, and once you find that you want to hold from there. We can kind of mess with with her posture here a little bit, we probably could make some improvements. I'm going to  have you bring this leg up actually right, and then you can kind of use this leg to help take off some pressure, and then I want her to straighten this leg out so that the TFL is in a somewhat lengthened position right, but I do want this leg relaxed. So I'm going to ask her to go ahead and lay her knee soft, because what I don't want to do is use this leg, go ahead and lock your knee again. I can tell she's pushing down into the ground here right, and now if we think about what the TFL does it is an abductor. She's probably using a stiff leg and pushing down in the ground to contract her TFL, and do something called guarding. We want no guarding, we want that muscle totally relaxed so that we get the best release possible. Now who's going to need a tensor fasciae latae release, that's a that's a very important question. This isn't something that you just throw anybody for any reason, this should be something that is targeted and aids in improving the quality of human movement based on your assessment. So if we were going to talk about something like the overhead squat assessment, the tensor fascia lata is an internal rotator, flexor an abductor of the hip, which means knees bow in, knees bow out, anterior pelvic tilt, excessive forward lean are all signs that may potentially indicate over activity of the tensor fascia lata. If you're using goniometry, a lack of external rotation right since this muscle is an internal rotator, would indicate a potential need to release the TFL, and then in a somewhat paradoxical fashion if somebody lacks internal rotation that also might indicate TFL over activity, especially if you're measuring internal rotation at 90 degrees of hip flexion. That has to do with our arthrokinematic dysfunction and the fact that the TFL will also anteriorly and superiorly glide the femoral head in the acetabulum. So knees bow in and knees bow out, anterior pelvic tilt excessive forward lean, internal or external rotation during goniometry, are all potentially good reasons to do your tensor fascia lata release. You want to try the other side, all right here's how you set up one more time. You will notice that we have a mat down, this can get quite uncomfortable to hold for a couple minutes as our release techniques take time. I do see a lot of people rush through their foam roll techniques, rush through their mobility techniques in general which includes stretching, and even our self-administered joint mobilizations we want to make sure that once we do a technique, we do it right so that we get the result we're looking for. I used to hate when my mother told me to the fastest way to get something done, was to do it the right way the first time, and your like arggh right, you're like because it just takes long and I just want to get it done, but it's going to take a lot longer if you a half ass it over and over and over and over again to get the result that you're looking for. How does that hypersphere feel, fast yeah, a little it's a little intense the first couple times you did it. Now of course if she was in so much pain in this position with this hard small object right, because if something is small and something is very firm we end up having a lot of pressure because the surface area is very small, what I could do is go hey it looks like you can't relax into this position; and if you can't relax and you're going to guard, we're not going to get a release. So what I could go back to do is let me have this, let's go ahead and try this with a foam roll, see how that feels. Don't automatically assume that more pain is better, more pain is not better, a better release is better. So she feels more comfortable on a foam roll and she can actually relax and get a release. This is where we can start, over time we can decrease the surface area or increase pressure by maybe using a harder object. And of course with all of these techniques we want to make sure that we assess, address and reassess. I hope you guys have enjoyed this video, take some time to practice this before you give it to your patients and clients. I think you'll find that there's little little form cues and stuff that you'll pick up just by trying to figure the technique out yourself. If you have any questions please leave a comment below. 

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Tensor Fascia Latae (TFL) Self-administered Static Release:

Explain to your patient/client where their TFL is, and if necessary palpate the TFL so they know where to exert pressure with the release tool. I have found the cue, “It's the area just behind your front pocket” helpful.

Instruct your patient/client to assume a side-lying position, with a foam roll, softball, or 

 tool underneath them, just inferior to their iliac crest.

Ask them to flex the hip and knee of the top leg, so they may rest that knee on the floor in front of them (this will aid in keeping your patient/client on their anterolateral pelvis and reduce some of the pressure exerted on the TFL)

Have your patient/client roll anterior to posterior, and from the iliac crest to the greater trochanter (stay off the greater trochanter), using the release tool to scan for tender points.

When the most tender point is located have your patient hold still on that spot and attempt to relax.

Wait for the discomfort to subside or for a “release” (generally 30 – 120 seconds).

Move on to another tender point or the next muscle to be released.

The amount of pressure exerted during this technique is significant, so finding the right release tool for the individual (i.e. sufficient surface area) is important. Too much pressure will result in guarding and is unlikely to result in any benefit.

Patients/clients will often mistake the greater trochanter for a tender point. If this is not corrected, days and weeks of using this technique may result in inflammation and pain (trochanteric bursitis or contusion).

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