Tight hamstrings

Many people suffer with tight hamstrings. Most of the time they will not cause a problem but can be more prone to bad tears, may contribute towards injuries such as lower back pain and popliteus injury and also may be limiting your sporting performance. The hamstring muscles consist of the semitendinosus, semimembranosus and biceps femoris.

Tight hamstrings can also be responsible for postural problems and other back problems such as sacroiliac joint pain, as they will tend to pull the pelvis out of normal position.

The 'normal' range of hip flexion (measured when laying flat on your back and raising the leg straight off the floor - knee straight) permitted by the hamstrings is in the region of 80-90 degrees. Anything less than 80 degrees is considered 'tight'. The image on the right shows a 'normal' range of motion.

Why do I have tight hamstrings?

• Genetic reasons. You can be born with naturally short hamstrings when some people are naturally supple. In general women and children are more supple than men.
• Not enough stretching. If you participate in a lot of sport and do not stretch properly then you are more likely to have your hamstrings tighten up. It is especially important to stretch properly after exercise as this is when the muscles are warm and more receptive to stretching. If you tend to make a beeline for the bar after your game of football think about spending 10 minutes stretching first.
• Problems in your lower back can put pressure on your sciatic nerve which runs down the legs and cause muscles to tighten.

What can I do about it?

• Even if you are not naturally supple you can still improve your flexibility by stretching.
• Types of stretching include dynamic, static, passive, PNF and CRAC. A full description of these can be seen here.
• Avoid ballistic stretching which is bouncing and forcing the muscle to go further than is comfortable and will damage it.
• Sports massage can help in loosening tight muscles. Have a regular sports massage on the legs.

What problems can tight hamstrings cause?

• More susceptible to tearing. If you force a muscle to go further than it can normally go at speed it is likely to tear.
• Tight hamstrings can cause the hips and pelvis to rotate back flattening the lower back and causing back problems.
• If your muscles have tightened up then blood has been squeezed out of them therefore your muscles are working at less than 100 % of capacity and your performance will be down as a result. Regular sports massage and stretching to improve muscle condition will not only reduce the likelihood of injury but may also improve sporting performance.

Stretching >>