"How long has it been since you’ve been able to bend over and touch your toes? Don’t blame age for your lack of flexibility. Too much sitting is the primary reason hamstrings tighten over time. Admittedly, some people have a genetic predisposition toward tight hamstrings and men are usually less flexible than women, but most Canadians are guilty of ignoring the importance of keeping this hardworking muscle strong and supple.
Why is the ability to touch your toes such a big deal? Tight hamstrings can lead to back pain and make it tougher than it should be to perform the chores of everyday life like pulling weeds from the garden and picking up something off the floor.
How do you test hamstring flexibility? Lie down on your back and bend both knees. Then lift one foot toward the ceiling, keeping the lifted leg straight and the foot flexed (pull the toes toward the knees) until you feel tension in the back of your thigh.
Ideally, your leg should lift comfortably until it is perpendicular (a 90 degree angle) to the floor. Or, as athletic therapist Peter Levidis explains, “You should be able to rest a glass of water on the foot of the extended leg.”
Most adults fall well short of this measure. Lack of flexibility can pull the pelvis out of alignment, shortens your stride, decreases your range of motion when swinging a golf club or racket and increases the risk of pulling a “hammy” on the ice, soccer pitch, baseball field or tennis court.
If you flunked the hamstring flexibility test as outlined above, here are some exercises selected by Levidis and performed by athletic therapist Melanie Scrase to lengthen tight hamstrings and improve the day-to-day function of your lower body movement.
Hold each stretch for 10 to 20 seconds and repeat three to five times several times a week, with the exception of the desk stretch which should be performed several times a day.
If you have sciatica, avoid the stretches and loosen up your hamstrings with the foam roller. Too much tugging on your hamstrings can further irritate an already inflamed sciatic nerve.
Continue to improve your hamstring flexibility until you can lift your leg toward the ceiling with ease. Then try touching your toes. Bending over never felt so good, or so easy.
Desk stretch
Start position: Sit up straight and slide your hips to the edge of your office chair. Keeping legs slightly apart extend one leg out in front of your body.
Action: Keeping your head in line with your spine and bending from the hips, lower your chest to your knee until you feel tension in the hamstrings. (Change the position of your legs and repeat.) Tip: Use the reminder feature in your email program and set your alarm for every 60 minutes, performing three to five reps every hour.
Common Error: Don’t lower your head and curve the spine toward your knee. Instead, lengthen the spine and bend over from the hips.
Traditional static stretch
Start Position: Lie on back with both knees bent.
Action: Lift one leg off the floor and wrap a strap or towel around the ball of your foot. Extend the leg toward the ceiling and pull on the strap to gently coax your foot toward your chest and to support your lifted leg. Hold when you feel tension in the hamstring.
Tip: Allow a slight bend in the knee if you feel too much tension in your lower back or hamstring.
Common error: Don’t flatten the lower back into the floor as you pull the leg toward your chest. Instead, keep the natural curve in your lower back through all phases of the exercise.
Dynamic stretch
Start Position: Crouch into a sprinter’s track start with one foot in front of the other and both hands on the floor in front of your body.
Action: Keeping your hands on the floor and your eyes looking downward, lift your hips toward the ceiling until you feel tension in the hamstrings. Lower your hips to the starting position. Repeat.
Tip: Work through your full range of motion without pausing at top or bottom part of the movement.
Common error: Don’t look forward as you raise your hips. Instead, keep your head in line with the spine through all phases of the exercise.
Foam roller
Start Position: Sit on the floor and position the foam roller where the hamstrings meet your butt. Place your hands behind your body for support and lift your hips off the floor. Lift one leg off the floor and extend it out in front of the body.
Action: Roll the foam roller toward the knee, stopping before you roll it under the kneecap. Roll back to the starting position. Repeat.
Tip: Increase the massage effect of the roller by crossing one leg over the other at the ankles." (Read more / Photo Credit)
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