Got back pain and tight hammies?

Tight hammies causing you back pain? Tried stretching your hamstrings, but it hasn’t changed anything? Maybe there are other answers.

We know from long-standing research that traditional static hamstring stretching alone does not change hamstring length, doesn’t affect your lumbar lordosis, doesn’t change your pelvic tilt, and doesn’t change your lumbar range of motion (1). So maybe static hamstring stretches alone are not the answer to your back pain. However, there are other options.

Firstly, eccentric strengthening exercises for the hamstrings do increase hamstring muscle length (2). Alternatively, neural sliders for your sciatic nerve in addition to hamstring stretches produce more range of motion than hamstring stretching alone (3). So there are two different ways your physiotherapist can show you to improve your hamstring flexibility.

We also know that active eccentric hamstring stretches (like in Pilates) decrease low back pain (4), and pelvic control hamstring stretch exercises are helpful in back pain reduction and help you to get back to work (5). So there are two more specific exercises that your physiotherapist can show you to help you to decrease your back pain, and get back to work sooner and happier.

There are many other options too. To get the best outcomes, knowing which exercises to give to which people and when is what physiotherapists do best. If you have tight hamstrings with back pain, see a physio to work out the best way for you to improve your symptoms rather than just trying the same old static hamstring stretches.

• Borman NP, Trudelle-Jackson E, Smith SS. Effect of stretch positions on hamstring muscle length, lumbar flexion range of motion, and lumbar curvature in healthy adults. Physiother Theory Pract. 2011 Feb;27(2):146-54.
• Delvaux F, Schwartz C, Decréquy T, Devalckeneer T, Paulus J, Bornheim S, Kaux JF, Croisier JL. Influence of a Field Hamstring Eccentric Training on Muscle Strength and Flexibility. Int J Sports Med. 2020 Apr;41(4):233-241.
• Sharma S, Balthillaya G, Rao R, Mani R. Short term effectiveness of neural sliders and neural tensioners as an adjunct to static stretching of hamstrings on knee extension angle in healthy individuals: A randomized controlled trial. Phys Ther Sport. 2016 Jan;17:30-7.
• Montero-Cámara, E. Sierra-Silvestre, A.M. Monteagudo-Saiz, J. López-Fernández, A.I. López-López, M.E. Barco-Pérez, Active eccentric stretch against passive analytical hamstring stretch in subacute or chronic non-specific low back pain. a pilot trial, Fisioterapia, Volume 35, Issue 5, 2013, Pages 206-213.
• Han HI, Choi HS, Shin WS. Effects of hamstring stretch with pelvic control on pain and work ability in standing workers. J Back Musculoskeletal Rehabil. 2016 Nov 21;29(4):865-871.