Do Stretching Exercises Alone Provide Adequate Relief for Stiff Hamstrings?
Is Stretching Enough to Relief for Stiff Hamstrings?
“NO,” is the quick answer.
You may have temporarily relaxed your hamstrings by stretching them, but you probably did not get long-term relief.
In addition to stretching, you must do two other things if your hamstrings are tight. You must keep on stretching, but you must do it in between these two other exercises.
Orsy demonstrates the exercises.
Three Stretching
1. Foam Rolling
Begin in an upright sitting position on a foam roller, maintaining good alignment with your head, shoulders, and hips. Bring your hands behind your back, palms flat on the floor for support, and engage your core. Start to roll from your hips down to your thighs with both legs. Relax and return to the starting position. Repeat the movement starting with 1 set of 5-10 repetitions
When we are foam rolling, we are relaxing the hamstring muscle. At the same time, we are helping to improve the quality of the tissue in the hamstring muscles by working on the tension.
2. Leg In The Air Hamstring Stretch
Lie on your back on the floor with your knees bent. Maintaining good alignment with your head, shoulders, and hips. Afterward, engage your core and bring one leg, straighten out toward the sky, stretching the hamstring. Hold this position for 20 seconds. Relax and return to the starting position. Repeat the movement twice on each side in an alternating direction, looking for a light stretch while lengthening the muscle.
3. Single Leg Bridge Exercise
Having a stable pelvis, core, and back will reduce the amount of tension and tightness in your hamstrings if you have them.
Firstly, lie on your back on the floor with your knees bent, maintaining good alignment with your head, shoulders, and hips. Then, engage your core and bring one leg, straighten out toward the sky, bridging up your body while focusing on the undisturbed motion. After that, relax and return to the starting position. Repeat the movement on the opposite side starting with 1 set of 10 repetitions and progressing to 2 or 3 sets to target the strength of the hamstrings and glutes.
We are focusing on rotational stability. By improving the rotational aspect, we will decrease the necessity for the hamstrings to provide rotational stability, as a result of improved stability in the hip, core, and back.
Here's what to do if your hamstrings are tight. First, Foam Roll to loosen them up, then Stretch them, and finally, do more unilateral Core Stability exercises.
There are numerous different stretches and exercises to give relief stiff hamstrings, and a good number of them can be done at home.
Solutions range from doing a basic hamstring exercise at home to more advanced techniques, such as using the wall ball for hamstring stretches. Proper use of these techniques combined with stretching exercises performed regularly will help you improve your hamstring flexibility and range of motion.
