Do you have tight hamstrings? This is common and can lead to lower back pain, hip pain and poor sports performance. Watch our video for a simple home exercise to stretch your hamstrings as well as the inner thigh and lateral hip.
Hi, this is Dana Ranahan from Body Works Sports Physiotherapy in North Vancouver. I want to show you a great stretch for your hamstrings. So many people out there have tight hamstrings, which can lead to back pain, hip pain, all kinds of things. This is my favourite stretch for hamstrings at home.
Hamstring
- Grab a yoga strap and take the strap around the foot so it’s on the forefoot.
- Lie down, and when you pull up your leg, pull the belt so that your hip stays centred in the socket as the legs comes up.
- In this position, you can hold the belt for a nice stretch in your hamstring.
- Be careful to just bend your knee slightly so it isn’t hyperextended
- In this position, you can use the belt with your elbows on the floor to help hold the leg there and support it
- Hold for about thirty or forty seconds, or longer if you like.
Lateral Hip
- After you stretch there, you can take both ends of the strap in your left hand, coming across the body.
- In this position, it’s really important to keep the pelvis flat and not allow it to twist.
- Now you’ll get a nice stretch on the lateral hip.
- The same thing here, you can hold it for about thirty or forty seconds.
Inner Thigh
- Finally, hand on your opposite hip and switch your belt hand, bringing the leg away to stretch your inner thigh.
- The big key with this position is that you keep your pelvis centred so that you don’t allow yourself to rock over.
- After that, you can bring your leg back in and bend your knee in and down. That is your first stretched leg.
- Do it on both sides to make sure that you’re even.
Give this a try at home, it should really help. If you have any questions, you can give us a call at (604) 983-6616.