{"id":2252,"date":"2017-03-21T07:00:09","date_gmt":"2017-03-21T11:00:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.chaneyhealth.com\/healthtips\/?p=2252"},"modified":"2017-03-20T20:36:45","modified_gmt":"2017-03-21T00:36:45","slug":"how-to-treat-tight-hamstrings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.chaneyhealth.com\/healthtips\/how-to-treat-tight-hamstrings\/","title":{"rendered":"How To Treat Tight Hamstrings"},"content":{"rendered":"

Stretching Hamstrings Can Cause Them To Tear<\/p>\n

Author: Julie Donnelly, LMT \u2013 The Pain Relief Expert<\/em><\/p>\n

Editor: Dr. Steve Chaney<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"how<\/a>\u201cDon\u2019t stretch your hamstrings\u201d is the opposite advice to that given to the vast majority of athletes, especially runners. There is good reason to stop before you stretch, and consider why<\/em> your hamstrings feel tight in the first place before determining how to treat tight hamstrings.<\/p>\n

I received a message about a hamstring injury on one of the forums that I moderate. The message came from a father who was concerned about his 12YO son, an avid athlete. While stretching his hamstrings, he heard a \u201cpop\u201d and immediately felt pain at his butt and behind his knee. A few days had passed and the boy was still having hamstring pain while sitting and walking.<\/p>\n

The first thing someone may tell him is to stretch, and that\u2019s the last thing that should be done. He needs to get an MRI to make sure that his hamstring tendon isn\u2019t torn. If that\u2019s okay, then he needs to look more in depth to find out why <\/em>his hamstrings are tight.<\/p>\n

Why Your Hamstrings May Be Overstretched<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"overstretched<\/a>Very often your hamstrings will feel tight even though they are actually being overstretched!\u00a0 Your hamstrings originate on your posterior pelvis, and one of your quadriceps muscles originates on the front of your pelvis. The quadriceps muscle is Rectus Femoris <\/a>which goes from your pelvis, over your kneecap and down to your shin bone.<\/p>\n

When your Rectus Femoris is tight, it will pull your pelvis down<\/em> in the front. This causes your pelvis to move up<\/em> in the back, and your hamstrings get overstretched<\/em>. Your hamstrings feel tight, but if you then try to stretch them, you could tear them. In fact, if they are tight enough, you could actually pull the tendon away from the bone.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve found that your hamstrings will often release on their own when you treat your quadriceps. As your quadriceps aren\u2019t pulling down on the front of your pelvis, it allows your posterior pelvis to go down. As your posterior pelvis goes down, it releases the over-stretch from your hamstrings.<\/p>\n

How to Treat Tight Hamstrings<\/h2>\n

\"release<\/a>Pay attention to tight quadriceps when deciding how to treat tight hamstrings.<\/p>\n

Fortunately, it\u2019s really easy to release the tension in your quadriceps. I teach these treatments, and many more, in my book: Treat Yourself To Pain-Free Living<\/em><\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n

In this picture, I\u2019m using the Julstro Power Roller to push (don\u2019t roll) from the top of my thigh to just above my knee.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve found that the Power Roller gives more focused strength than using a foam roller. Also, tools that have beads that roll can\u2019t go deep enough to reach the lower fibers of this thick muscle.<\/p>\n

You\u2019ll find a big spasm, which feels like a bump, at the point shown in this picture. When you go over the spasm, it will hurt so start out slow and build up strength to go deeper.<\/p>\n

Also, treating your quadriceps will not only help release your hamstrings, but it is also the treatment for knee pain. This helps you eliminate two painful conditions, not just one! This is also one of the series of treatments for releasing low back, hip, and groin pain. It\u2019s an especially good self-treatment to learn. You can also do this treatment while sitting in a chair with your knee slightly bent.<\/p>\n

\u00a0How to Treat Tight Hamstrings While Treating Spasms
\n<\/strong><\/h2>\n

\"treat<\/a>AFTER you treat your quadriceps, then you can treat your hamstrings. The picture on the left not only treats the spasms, but it also stretches your hamstrings.<\/p>\n

I prefer the Julstro Perfect Ball<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0 over any other type of ball.\u00a0 The Perfect Ball is solid in the middle and soft on the outside, giving great pressure without hurting the muscle.<\/p>\n

Put the Perfect Ball on a hard surface such as a wooden stool or corner of a desk.<\/p>\n

Rest your hamstrings on top of the ball, moving until you find the spasm in the muscle.<\/p>\n

Finish by straightening your leg which will stretch your hamstrings. Go slowly and don\u2019t strain the muscle, just move to a \u201churts so good\u201d level.<\/p>\n

\"pain<\/a>Treat Yourself to Pain-Free Living<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0 shows you how to treat spasms from your head to your feet. If you are in pain, or if you love sports and your joints feel tight, this book will become your favorite \u201ctool!\u201d<\/p>\n

Now, you know how to treat tight hamstrings.<\/p>\n

Wishing you well,<\/p>\n

Julie Donnelly<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

About The Author<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"julie<\/a><\/p>\n

Julie Donnelly is a Deep Muscle Massage Therapist with 20 years of experience specializing in the treatment of chronic joint pain and sports injuries. She has worked extensively with elite athletes and patients who have been unsuccessful at finding relief through the more conventional therapies.<\/p>\n

She has been widely published, both on \u2013 and off \u2013 line, in magazines, newsletters, and newspapers around the country. She is also often chosen to speak at national conventions, medical schools, and health facilities nationwide.<\/p>\n

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Learn how to treat tight hamstrings by reading this article. You may need to relieve tension in your quadriceps before stretching tight hamstrings.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[422],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2252","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-treating-tight-hamstrings"],"yoast_head":"\nHow To Treat Tight Hamstrings - Health Tips From The Professor<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Learn how to treat tight hamstrings by reading this article. 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