When stretching isn't the answer to tight hamstrings
If your hamstrings feel tight, but you have good mobility, consider checking your glutes to see if they are working well!
Our body can experience the feeling of tightness as a result of an imbalance in our muscular system. In the hamstrings, they can feel tight despite having full mobility. If you are unsure of whether or not you have limited mobility, or tightness, in your hamstrings, please check out this post.
If your hamstrings have good mobility and range of motion, then let’s take another look at why you may feel tight in the back of your thigh. Where does the sensation of tightness come from?
The glute (your butt) muscles might not be working when they need to be and the hamstrings might be overworking to take up the slack. Your body wants to stay in harmony. It tries to maintain homeostasis which is its way of staying stable. When the glute muscles aren’t effectively working, the hamstrings try really hard to help provide extra support, but they are doing the work of what should be done by both muscle groups. This can lead to hamstring gripping and increased tension because of the need to support the pelvis when the glutes aren’t working well. This creates the sensation of tightness in the hamstrings when you lean over to try and touch your toes. The hamstrings tend to “grip” and stay contracted as a stabilizer to the pelvis because the glutes aren’t pulling their load. The nervous system is responding to the glutes not working effectively by causing overactivity of the hamstrings. You perceive this as tightness. If your hamstrings have adequate length, then keep reading to learn how to check your glutes to determine if they might be the cause of the tightness you experience.
Here are 3 simple things you can do at home to check your glute activation:
Place your hands on your buttocks and see if you can feel the muscles tighten.
Lay on your stomach and place one hand on the glutes and one hand on the middle of the thigh, the hamstrings, (on the back side) and try to lift your leg. What tightens first when you try to lift your leg? The glutes or the hamstrings? You may need to ask for help with this one if you have trouble reaching your hamstrings. Check both sides and see if there are any similarities or differences. Is one side painful? Ideally, the glutes will tighten first and then the hamstrings when trying to lift the leg in this position.
Try to do a bridge. While laying on your back, bend the knees and place the feet flat on the surface you are laying on. Lift the hips off the ground and notice what you feel. Can you feel the glutes tighten? Do the hamstrings feel like they want to cramp? Do you have back pain when you try to lift the hips? Do you tend to push yourself up with a lot of pressure on the backs of your shoulders?
If you don’t feel the glutes tighten, you may want to see your physical therapist to help you with strategies to improve your glute function.
If your hamstrings are always active because they are trying to do the job of the glutes along with their own job, you could probably stretch until the cows come home and you won’t make much progress with eliminating the feeling of tightness. Consider improving your glute strength so the hamstrings can feel supported in order to alleviate the sensation of tightness.
Here are 3 ways to strengthen the glutes:
Bridge-keep the heels shoulder width apart and bring the feet towards the buttocks to activate the glutes more than the hamstrings. If you notice that your body slides up, you may be pushing with the quadriceps on the front of the thighs, so try to lift the hips straight up toward the sky.
Squat to a 90-degree hip bend while keeping the knees in line with the second toes of each foot and keeping the knees behind the toes to encourage more glute activation.
Single leg deadlift1 by standing on one leg, slightly bending the knee of the leg you are standing on. Float the other leg up behind you as you bend the hip of the leg you are standing on. Try to maintain the natural curve of your spine allowing the glutes to do the work here, not the lower back. Reach the hands toward the floor, balance and complete the movement slowly with control. You can hold onto to furniture or a countertop for added stability if you feel off-balanced. Try this with each leg.
Improving your glute strength can also help support your lower back. If you have lower back pain, weak glutes can contribute to that as well. By strengthening the glutes, you can eliminate the tightness you feel in your hamstrings and help reduce your lower back pain.
Take good care!
Sharon
Distefano LJ, Blackburn JT, Marshall SW, Padua DA. Gluteal muscle activation during common therapeutic exercises. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther. 2009 Jul;39(7):532-40. doi: 10.2519/jospt.2009.2796. PMID: 19574661.