Hamstring Stretches And Lower Back Pain – Get Your Length Back

About 80% of Americans will get lower back pain at least once in their lives, and 3 out of 4 of them will have to miss work. 2 birds, One stone – A bummer!

One major contribution to both these problems are you hamstrings.

Bottom line is this, your hamstrings need strengthening from time to time, and when you are constantly sitting or standing all to one side of your body, it can cause you to get weak and even weaker hamstrings, and as a result you lower back has to pay up…with pain that is.

What If you could get you muscles in you hamstring to stretch back out fully so they are not quivering anymore? And what do you think about me helping you achieve that?

If you would like me to, I thank you, and you already know that’s why I’m here, for you to greatly benefit.

I can’t tell you enough about the pain I’ve been getting lately in my hamstrings, my gosh! Seriously…

I’m in pain day to day, and I have myself to blame for, and here is why:

I don’t stretch it out enough! For one main reason above all:

I do so much work, I sit as my desk as times for hours completed numbers and spreadsheets, then I’m moving material, and working as a tech. This does nothing but hurt my butt, and when I finally get up I lean backwards, not good.

In the middle of that is my mistake…

When I get up and I don’t stretch. Now I feel a muscle imbalance in my hips, and I get my body moving forward into an anterior tilt. It’s getting better every day though, as I stretch it for a good 5 minutes a day, twice a day.

In this article I will be showing you the best stretches for hamstrings and lower back pain, from experience in having acute, sub-acute, and most infamous chronic lower back pain.

Do I Do This Stretch, Or That One?

The most common problem I find myself in and I constantly see other lower back pain sufferers doing are the wrong hamstrings stretches.

That’s right, there are wrong hamstrings stretches’ out there, and I want to keep you away from them, before you do what I did.

About 2/3 of hamstrings stretches’ will not do harm to you hammy’s but to you spinal disc.

So Listen up, if you have L1-L5 disc, muscle and joint problems, and S1 – S6(Sciatica), this next portion of the pie is extremely important for you.

I’m seeing that many of my friends and family are doing the reach down and touch you toe hamstring stretch. This is not good for your disc, especially you L5- S1, because that’s where the most strength and flexibility lies. You’ll just end up forcing stress on your:

• spinal disc
• Facet joints
• Muscles surrounding the spine
• Ligaments
• muscles, joints and ligaments in your hamstrings
• worsening the pain, causing further injury.

It’s possible to feel a temporary amount of relief, but for us with constant aches and pains from our “modified spine”, it’ll aggravate it in the long run.

I end on that note, and I summon the next one.

The Best Alternatives? Hmm…

What are the best alternatives to the “reaching down and touching you toe hamstring stretch?” More than one, you got plenty my amigo!

There are more right ways than there are wrong. Get ready to hear the most affordable(free) hamstring stretches you should be doing for your diagnosis, and level of lower back pain.

The following stretch is an excellent technique, it will minimize lower lumbar stress and brings down you lower back pain in less than a couple of seconds.

1. The seated hamstring stretch

It’s called seated, but not for the fact that you need a chair. You can do it from anywhere.

Here is what it accomplishes:

• Encourages better posture, reduces lumbar disk injury
• Keeps you lumbar and pelvic tilting posture in neutral position
• Stretches, and lengthens you hamstrings,
• Strengthens you hips and mobility
• Strengthens you abdominal muscles. Takes pressure off you lumbar spine
• Stretches you calve muscles

How to do:

1. Sit down on a flat surface. You can use a mat for better feel
2. Keep you back straight
3. Bring you knees to you chest
4. Hold them with you arms, and bring you belly to you thighs
5. Squeeze gently
6. Now place you hands on you feet
7. Slowly extend you legs out in front of you, but keep you belly against you thighs
8. Keep a grip on you feet
9. Feel a stretch
10. Holds for a minute
11. Rest and Repeat 2 more times

That’s the soil, we still have yet to reach the most outer roots. Scratch the surface with this next stretch, that you can do from the comfort of your chair at:

• home
• work
• the gym
• when you’re traveling
• at a sporting venue

Keep thinking roots, and you’ll build a long lasting foundation of roots, a strong branch – your legs, green symbolizing the growth of leaves, and strong stems symbolizing your ligaments.

Which brings me to my next point…

My turning point in stretching other than learning from my physical therapist and doing yoga on my own by my guided dvd, was a lesson I learned from my coach.

He told me to look at my hamstrings like a bonsai tree. I’m not about to turn crazy on you trust me. I’m sure you’ll find this rather uplifting and maybe funny.

Your foundation is the soil:

The soil are all the nutrients flowing through. Like:

• your bloodstream
• Oxygen
• Contraction and de-contraction
• water

The strong tree trunk is like your two hamstrings: Sometimes your legs might not look straight, but they are strong from the inside.

Your roots are the muscles, and when its strong it will cause the next part to hold its own…

The trunk is the almighty hamstrings,. Their strength depend on the bottom layers, from the soil to the roots.

Now, the branches are the ligaments. They can crack easily under pressure and cause nerve endings to splinter open. But when they are strong, they’re a force.

And then we see the green chlorophyll of the leaves. These stand for how healthy your overall hamstrings are.

Day to day attention, and interactions with adding water, are essential for maximum strength and growth.

There you have it, a foundation.

Lets take a look at another hamstring stretch that can be done in comfort.

2. Chair Hamstring Stretch

Here is what it accomplishes:

• stretches’ out extremely tight hamstrings and very immobile hips

How to:

1. Find a chair to sit on
2. Extend you legs out in front of you
3. Keep you heel on the floor
4. Keep you spine straight
5. Reach for you toes, only until you feel a good stretch
6. Hold it for 30 seconds
7. Repeat 3 times
8. Switch legs and repeat

This next stretch you’ll be able to really make sure your legs are not bending.

3. Towel Hamstring Stretch

Here is what it accomplishes: 

• stretching the muscles out in you hamstring
• Aligns you posture
• Unlocks you hips, gives you more mobility

How to: 

1. Find a flat surface to lye down on you back
2. Hold each end of a wrapped towel and wrap it around you foot
3. Pull you leg up in front of you body
4. feel a stretch in you hamstring
5. Hold it for 30-45 seconds
6. Switch Legs and repeat

Remember how your gym teacher or coach told you to find a wall and get ready to stretch? This might spark some memories…

4. Wall hamstring Stretch

Here is what it accomplishes:

• Gets you hamstring muscles all stretched out
• Causes you hips to unlock and become more mobile

How to:

1. Lie down on the floor
2. Put you butt up against a wall
3. Stretch you legs up on the wall
4. Keep you knee as straight as possible
5. Feel a stretch
6. Holds for 30-45 seconds
7. Switch legs and repeat

This is gentle on you lower back. It will cause minimal stress.

What’s In It For You?

You have a solid hamstring stretching foundation, but what If I told you certain stretches’ put together work better for you type of pain than others?

Here is what I do, and I know you can do when you have a herniated disc:

1. Seated Chair stretch

A different variation of the seated hamstring stretch, this one uses 2 chairs instead of 1. It’s ideal for people withe extreme tightness in their hamstrings, and for bad mobility

Accomplishes:

• Lengthens and strengthens you hamstring muscles
• Gives you more mobility

How to:

1. Sit down on a chair with another chair in front of you
2. Rest one for of yours on the ground and put the other on the chair across from you
3. Straighten up you back
4. Reach forward as you extended leg
5. When you feel a stretch in the upper rear thigh then hold it there
6. Holds for 15 to 30 seconds
7. Switch legs and repeat
8. Do it 3 times for each leg

2. Towel Hamstring Stretch

Accomplishes:

• stretching the muscles out in you hamstring
• Aligns you posture
• Unlocks you hips, gives you more mobility

How to:

1. Find a flat surface to lye down on you back
2. Hold each end of a wrapped towel and wrap it around you foot
3. Pull you leg up in front of you body
4. feel a stretch in you hamstring
5. Hold it for 30-45 seconds
6. Switch Legs and repeat

3. Wall hamstring Stretch

Accomplishes:

• Gets you hamstring muscles all stretched out
• Causes you hips to unlock and become more mobile

How to:

1. Lie down on the floor
2. Put you butt up against a wall
3. Stretch you legs up on the wall
4. Keep you knee as straight as possible
5. Feel a stretch
6. Holds for 30-45 seconds
7. Switch legs and repeat

This is gentle on you lower back. It will cause minimal stress.

How To Do Them Day To Day

Take a second and think to yourself…what are the best ways and times I can get to stretching?

I know that for me, I follow through 99% of these stretches’ day in and day out, as so should you(until you get better)

I know we have busy schedules, and sometimes you just don’t think you have the time. Think is a big term in this sentence but I stand by it, and here is why…

Scenario 1: If you’re at work, and Let’s say you are sitting down as you desk, what stretch comes to you mind? The seated chair stretch, BOOM!. Get that stretch going. It’ll help out you lower back and especially you degenerative and herniated disc.

Scenario 2: You’re doing physical labor, or walking around. Get into a seated hamstring stretch. Lie on the ground and just stretch. What’s one minute out of you time to save a lifetime and lifestyle?

Scenario 3: You’re at the gym getting your workout in. You can do any of these stretches’.

Scenario 4: No place like home. Here is the best time to stretch in my opinion because 1. You have no excuses, and 2. you have all the hamstrings stretches’ in you power to do.

The Cream Of The Top

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Your hamstrings need strengthening, and if they don’t get that you’ll find yourself in constant aching pain, and before you know it, time will pass and it will be too late. Do something about it now while you still can, it’ll make all the difference.

The stretches’ you shouldn’t do can put you in harms way. Avoid doing the reach for you toes hamstring stretch, its not good on you spine and lumbar disc,

Instead, do all the alternative stretches’ you now have as you disposal. Use them with caution, and only stretch as far as you can go, you don’t want to end up hurting yourself

The tougher the pain, like a herniated disc, the more caution you need to take. Find those hamstrings stretches’ and do them as often as you can because I know that a herniated disc can put a damper on you mobility.

Look as every scenario for what they are worth, and you’ll understand that as any time, any place you find yourself in, you’ll be able to do a good hamstring stretch.

The awesome part about hamstring stretches is that you can also do them in the mornings and night in bed from the comfort of your own home.

If you have any questions, concerns, comments, opinions, please leave me a comment down below. I’ll get back to you right away!

“To be a champion, I think you have to see the big picture. It’s not about winning and losing; it’s about every day hard work and about thriving on a challenge. It’s about embracing the pain that you’ll experience at the end of a race and not being afraid. I think people think too hard and get afraid of a certain challenge.

-Summer Sanders

Now we climb up from here…

The Remove Back Pain System

To get the most out your lower back pain healing you’ll most definitely without a question, need to work on your hips. Let’s keep it, and start right now the best stretches for your hips.