Tight hamstrings are a surprisingly common cause of pain in the lumbar spine. If these muscles are tight, it can throw off the movement of your pelvis and posture, increasing stress on the muscles of the low back and leaving them inflamed, sore and spasm-prone.
The good news is that you can relieve your chronic backache and other nagging symptoms by doing a few simple stretches several times a day. You won’t need any special equipment and you can easily do these leg stretches at home or at the office. (Get more tips for easing lower back pain here – https://www.braceability.com/blogs/info/back-muscle-pain-and-spasms )
In this video, we demonstrate three simple, tried-and-true stretches for the hamstrings that can help with treatment of back muscle spasms and pain. These include the following exercises:
– Seated hamstring stretch: Sit on the floor with one leg bent out of the way and the other leg extended in front of you. Lean forward from the hips until you feel a stretch at the bottom of the thigh. Hold the pose for around 30 seconds before relaxing and repeating for the other leg.
– Standing hamstring stretch: Stand with the leg you plan on stretching slightly in front of your other leg. Slightly bend your back knee and hinge forward from the hips until you feel a stretch in the front, straight leg. For balance, you can put your hands on the thigh of your bent leg. Hold the pose for 30 seconds then release and switch legs. For a deeper stretch, you can place the leg you are stretching on the seat of a chair.
– Lying hamstring stretch: Lay flat on your back (you can stick a rolled towel under the small of your back if you have any lower back pain), bend the knee you plan on stretching and grab the back of your thigh. Use your hands to pull the leg toward you, keeping the knee bent at around a 20-degree angle, until you feel a stretch in the hamstring. Hold for around 30 seconds. Then switch legs.
We also include some modifications you can do for an even deeper stretch of tight hamstrings.
Besides easing the ache in your back, these stretches to loosen your hamstrings also improve your posture (https://www.braceability.com/blogs/articles/quick-fixes-for-perfect-posture ) and reduce the risk of further damage to the lower back or injury to other areas of the body.
Music: www.bensound.com
