Tight Hamstrings and Lower Back Pain

If you are suffering from lower back pain the first thing you need to do is a bit of detective work to help work out what is causing it. The first port of call is your health professional. Your doctor will be able to advise you on whether your lower back pain is caused by an underlying problem.

One of the causes for lower back pain can be tight hamstrings. Tight Hamstrings are a nuisance to us all. It’s not just runners who suffer from tight hamstrings. They are the set of muscles on the backs of your thighs, comprising the semi- tendinosus, semi-membranosus and the long and short head of the biceps femoris. They run rom the ischial tuberosity – your ‘sitting bone’ along the back of the femur to the bones of the lower leg just below the knee. Their job is to move the leg at both knee and hip.

Stretching the hamstrings and learning how to exercise your glutes efficiently will help. Lie on  your back on the floor with one knee bent and the foot on the floor. Hook your hands around the knee of the bent leg and then raise that leg  into the air. Gently pull the raised leg towards you and until you can feel the pull in the hamstrings and hold for a minute or so. Repeat with the other leg. You should do this daily. Strengthening the hamstrings will also help to make them more elastic.

It may take some time to release off tight hamstrings, massage can help enormously in this process, come and see me for some advice and treatment.