Tag: hamstrings

The plague of tight hamstrings

Priya Tew

Following on from our last post (where I discovered how tight my husbands hamstrings are) and a few enquiries this week…. I bring you the plague of most of the men who come to our classes and also quite a few women!

So what is going on and why does it matter?

Why do I have tight hamstrings?

  1. Genetic. Some people are born with tight hamstrings. Generally men have tighter hamstrings than women. Sorry guys. However you can do something about it!
  2. Too more sport and not enough stretch. It is really, really, really important you stretch properly after sport or any physical activity such as walking and cycling.
  3. Lower back problems and sciatica can cause those muscles to tighten up. Also tight hamstrings can lead to back pain. A bit of a circle there.
  4. Sitting. When your legs are bent, your hamstrings are shortened and flexed. If you have a job where you sit, then you commute to work, seated and then you sit again at home it will add up to a lot of sitting hours!

Problems it can cause:

  1. Tight hamstrings can pull the pelvis back, causing lower back pain.
  2. You are more prone to an injury as the muscles are tight and not working at optimal capacity.

How to help?

  1. STRETCH. Either standing, lying or using a band.
Hamstring Stretch
Hamstring Stretch
  1. Foam rollering can help release stuck fascia.

photo

  1. Try a sports massage on your legs to help loosen up those muscles.
  2. Stand up more and move around when you can. Find ways to reduce your sitting hours. Can you have a standing work station or build a walk into your working day? Can you change the way you commute to work or what you do in the evenings? If you do sit a lot then may sure you build some stretching time into your day.
  3. Try these moves out:
    1. Legs straight up wall with back on the floor – Lie on the floor and maintain this position for 15 minutes. You may notice your pelvis, hips and sacrum realigning and adjusting, too. When the hamstrings lengthen, it reduces the strain on your lower back. Nice.
    2. Straddle while sitting with back up wall – Sitting up tall with legs wide (The Saw starting position). Try to relax your legs and maintain this position for 5-10 minutes to stretch your adductor (inner thighs) and hamstrings.

Stretch those Hamstrings to help your back.

Priya Tew

Looking around classes there are a fair few people who look like they have tight hamstrings so here are some tips on how to improve your flexibility in that area. Why? Because tight hamstrings can lead to lower back pain! So get stretching if this applies to you.

Hamstring Stretch
Hamstring Stretch

How to test if your hamstrings are tight:

This can be done by lying on your back with one leg outstretched along the floor  and and lifting the other leg, foot towards the ceiling. As soon as the pelvis starts to tilt backwards and the back flattens to the floor stop. The leg should go to about 80 degrees. If it is less than this then the hamstrings are tight and short.

Whats the problem with having short hamstrings?

As well as being vital in sports such as football and running, it can become a major contributor in maintaining or causing back pain. Some kinds of back problems are not resolved until the hamstrings are got back to adequate length. It is also worth noting that hamstrings can get shorter as a consequence of back problems as well, thus producing a viscous cycle.

Causes of actual short hamstrings

Long hours sitting / driving.

Tension. People often hold their legs tensely, normally unconsciously. Signs of this are habitually putting feet back under chair when sitting, or holding knees tightly together.

Back problems. This is because the hamstrings are trying to stabilize the back.

Lack of core strength where the hamstrings take on the role of attempting to stabilize the trunk.

Poor coordination and habitual movement patterns. Using the hamstrings in hip extension (leg moving backwards) rather than your gluteal (bum) muscles.

3 Stretches to do:

  1. With band- lie on the floor in neutral. Slide 1 leg away along the floor, then put the band around your other foot and lift that leg into the air, foot to the ceiling. Use the band to get a food stretch down the back of the thigh. Push against the band for 15 seconds and then let the leg come slightly closer towards you to increase the stretch.
  2. Stand with your foot on the back of a chair, on a windowsill or on a Worktop, find the right height surface to get that stretch.
  3. Lie on the floor with one foot against a door frame, knee bent. Now press your heel into the door frame for 3 breaths and then slide your leg up door frame to get the stretch. Shuffle nearer the door frame to get a better stretch.

 

Height Measure

Pilates makes you taller!

Priya Tew

I’ve had a couple of people mention to me lately that since starting Pilates they have grown from 1cm to 1.5 inches taller. Initially I laughed at this, but then I happened to re-height myself and guess what? I’ve grown too, one whole centimetre.

It got me thinking. What’s this about?

Pilates helps with alignment and posture. Over time  either the principles of neutral alignment become a bit like second nature or you end up with my voice nagging in your head…. “stand up tall with a piece of string pulling you up towards the ceiling, shoulder pulled round and down in your back, pelvis in neutral, core engaged….” So it does make sense that over time, the practise of standing tall whilst using your core can make you taller.

The normal ageing process affects our height, as the disks in the spine lose hydration and elasticity they start to shrink. Sitting at a desk hunched over a computer screen leads to the back becoming stretched, the shoulders and chest tight and the hamstrings shortened. To me this shows how much we need to focus on stretching and on proper alignment. If your muscles are tight and short it leads to pain.

Strengthening the back and stretching the shoulders and chest whilst remembering to lengthen through the neck can correct this and make you taller!