Tight Hamstrings and Back Pain
Once you see these relationships clearly, it's hard to deny how tight hamstrings cause back pain.
What do tight hamstrings have to do with back pain?
A lot! Your back, especially your lumbar spine (lower back), is designed to be fairly stable. The network of muscles in your core (abdominals and pelvic floor) and surrounding your spine are there to support your torso in an upright position as you walk and run.
We are designed to be on our feet and moving. And that means our hips, where our legs attach to our pelvis/torso, are meant to be flexible and fluid so we can take strides, moving ourselves from one place to another.
But what we typically are doing these days is sitting on our butt, not moving. So our hips (where all of the hamstring muscles connect to the pelvis) get really, really tight.
OK, great. But how do tight hamstrings make my back hurt?
Well, if your back was designed to be stable and strong, and your hips were meant to be flexible and fluid, but the exact opposite has happened instead, you're in real trouble! The thumbnail version of how pain occurs is this:
The tightness of your hamstrings causes your pelvis to be pulled down and away from the lumbar spine, which puts the lower back in a position of instability--the exact opposite of what it needs. Check out the image to the right to see what I mean.
So how do I stretch my tight hamstrings?
I devote a huge amount of time to the proper stretching of the hamstrings in the Hauber Method™ program, especially in Series B.
Each workshop contains amazing hip stretches that will give you relief that you have probably never felt before. And they are always accompanied by the most important exercises to help your core and back muscles fight the good fight against tight hamstrings.
A lot! Your back, especially your lumbar spine (lower back), is designed to be fairly stable. The network of muscles in your core (abdominals and pelvic floor) and surrounding your spine are there to support your torso in an upright position as you walk and run.
We are designed to be on our feet and moving. And that means our hips, where our legs attach to our pelvis/torso, are meant to be flexible and fluid so we can take strides, moving ourselves from one place to another.
But what we typically are doing these days is sitting on our butt, not moving. So our hips (where all of the hamstring muscles connect to the pelvis) get really, really tight.
OK, great. But how do tight hamstrings make my back hurt?
Well, if your back was designed to be stable and strong, and your hips were meant to be flexible and fluid, but the exact opposite has happened instead, you're in real trouble! The thumbnail version of how pain occurs is this:
The tightness of your hamstrings causes your pelvis to be pulled down and away from the lumbar spine, which puts the lower back in a position of instability--the exact opposite of what it needs. Check out the image to the right to see what I mean.
So how do I stretch my tight hamstrings?
I devote a huge amount of time to the proper stretching of the hamstrings in the Hauber Method™ program, especially in Series B.
Each workshop contains amazing hip stretches that will give you relief that you have probably never felt before. And they are always accompanied by the most important exercises to help your core and back muscles fight the good fight against tight hamstrings.
"Tight Hamstrings and Back Pain" Written by Sara Hauber.
First published in 2013; updated and republished November 24, 2019.
First published in 2013; updated and republished November 24, 2019.
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Click the button below to go back to the main Articles page and read more about how the core, back, and hamstrings are connected.
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