Hamstrings, Lower Back, Etc...

Do you have lower back pain? Are you an athlete? Would you like to run faster, be more explosive, have better posture, and have better core strength? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then you need to stretch your hamstrings. Say what?

That's right, your hamstrings are tight (especially if you're a guy, or older, or carry around a lot of weight-muscle or not). In conjunction, your hips and quads are probably tight too. Here is a simple test for you:

Lay down on the floor with both legs flat on the ground. Try to to lift your right leg straight up as high as possible. Is it at least perpindicular (+ or - 5 degrees) to the floor? Probably not unless you are very flexible, or have seen a really good chiropractor or physical therapist lately. Second test, get back on the floor with your legs flat and together and lift your right knee towards your chest as far as possible. Then try extending your lower leg (calf and foot) straight towards the ceiling, how far can you get? If it's not very close to straight up and down, your hamstrings are tight and likely your hips are tight (check your left hip for a slight bulge when attempting this test). So why should we fix this problem and how can we do it?

Well, they why is a pretty extensive list, but here is the gist. The hamstring, acts as a brake (think of an emergency brake in a Lambo) on your leg when you are running, jumping, squatting, snatching, cleaning (not the kitchen, the exercise), or any other exercise involving lower leg extension or flexion. It literally is slowing down the movement speed, allowing for decreased force production, which we as athletes don't want. Similarly, even if we are talking about the average Joe, a tight hamstring is deleterious to normal life as a tight hamstring affects the primary movers of the spine by limiting proper activation of muscles and range of motion. You can think of the spine as having three sections. The cervical spine (C-Spine or neck), thoracic spine (which connects to your rib cage) and the more mobile lumbar spine and sacrum (lower back) which connects to your pelvis. Usually the the lower spine is the most critical part of the equation as it doesn't have anything to keep it stiff and in proper posture (slightly arched-flat back) and is prone to injury between the L4 and L5 verterbrae, and L5-S1 vertebrae. This is because the loads transferred to these parts of the spine are very high, especially when large muscle groups creating movement around this area are too tight, unbalanced, or underdeveloped (hamstrings, quads, psoas, transverse abdominis). If the average person has tight hamstrings, his gait (walking) is a series of his hamstring imposing a stress on his or her lower back, which can be alleviated by stretching. Moreover, if the average Joe is jogging or running, the stress is more profound and can lead to a clinical pathology, pain. Even worse, is if the average Joe tries to go lift some weight (gasp, heavy weight!) and cannot activate the muscles throughout a full range of motion without limitation. All of these small nuances can lead to chronic lower back pain, and are exacerbated by having a lot of weight over the front of the spine- the beer belly. So what can we do besides getting rid of the gut and working out the underdeveloped muscles to bring them up to par? We can NOT stretch!

Not stretch? What is that? It's called PNF stretching. In stark contrast to the old-fashioned static stretching that you do on your own, and feels fairly pleasant (yet is useless), PNF stretching is an active type of stretching that is the only type of stretching that can increase range of motion, lenthen muscles, and cause prolonged improvement in joint mechanics. PNF stands for proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitative stretching, which basically means we trick your brain into stretchings (err I mean not stretching) past it's normal threshold to increase the flexibility of the muscle group. This is made possible by stretching the muscle (in this instance the hamstring) to the end of its normal range of motion, and having a partner hold the leg there, while you push against the partner who is holding your leg in place for 5-10 seconds. Then the partner says relax, and momentarily stops pushing against your leg, and then pushes you a little further. They repeat this cycle 4-5 times, and voila! Mobility is increased.

Frequency is key here. For someone who is very tight, has really bad lower back pain, or wants the greatest improvement, 4-5 times a day is not unreasonable, and will yield great increases in muscle length. Similarly, once or twice per day is better than none, and will still yield some benefit.

I hope you all investigate PNF stretching as another training modality to help you achieve holistic health.