Hamstring Stretching Exercises For Sciatica Pain Relief - Spine-health

Causes of Tight Hamstrings

The 3 muscles comprising the hamstrings gradually lose their flexibility with age. Tightness begins to develop during early childhood, slowly increasing over time due to a change in elasticity and decreased level of physical activities that involve these muscles.1Shakya N R, Manandhar S. Prevalence of hamstring muscle tightness among undergraduate physiotherapy students of Nepal using passive knee extension angle test. International Journal of Scientific and Research Publications, Vol 8. Published Jan 2018, 182–185. Available from: http://www.ijsrp.org/research-paper-0118.php?rp=P737129

In general, women have more flexible hamstrings than men of the same age, which is likely due to anatomical variations in joint structure and also the performance of more rigorous physical work by men, resulting in greater micro-trauma to these muscles.1Shakya N R, Manandhar S. Prevalence of hamstring muscle tightness among undergraduate physiotherapy students of Nepal using passive knee extension angle test. International Journal of Scientific and Research Publications, Vol 8. Published Jan 2018, 182–185. Available from: http://www.ijsrp.org/research-paper-0118.php?rp=P737129

Routinely participating in high-intensity sports that involve running, sprinting, and abrupt leg movements, such as basketball and tennis, are common risk factors for hamstring tightness. Sports medicine specialists commonly recommend stretching the hamstrings before engaging in such type of sports while counseling athletes on injury prevention.

How Tight Hamstrings Affect the Sciatic Nerve

The hamstring muscles play an important role in supporting the mechanics of spinal movements, especially during flexion (forward bending). When the spine bends forward, loads are distributed evenly between the lower back and the hip to facilitate a smooth bending movement.3Hasebe K, Okubo Y, Kaneoka K, Takada K, Suzuki D, Sairyo K. The effect of dynamic stretching on hamstrings flexibility with respect to the spino-pelvic rhythm. The Journal of Medical Investigation. 2016;63(1.2):85-90. doi:10.2152/jmi.63.85

When the hamstrings are tight, the biomechanics of the lower spine and hip (pelvis) are altered. Over time, the following changes tend to occur:

• The pelvis tilts forward4ee JH, Kim TH. The treatment effect of hamstring stretching and nerve mobilization for patients with radicular lower back pain. J Phys Ther Sci. 2017;29(9):1578–1582. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5599824/
• There is an increase in the curvature of the lower spine4ee JH, Kim TH. The treatment effect of hamstring stretching and nerve mobilization for patients with radicular lower back pain. J Phys Ther Sci. 2017;29(9):1578–1582. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5599824/
• The mobility and load on the lower spine are increased during forward bending movements3Hasebe K, Okubo Y, Kaneoka K, Takada K, Suzuki D, Sairyo K. The effect of dynamic stretching on hamstrings flexibility with respect to the spino-pelvic rhythm. The Journal of Medical Investigation. 2016;63(1.2):85-90. doi:10.2152/jmi.63.85

Increased spinal loads, abnormal curvature, constant movements, and repetitive stress on the lower back may cause sciatica to occur when the lumbar and/or sacral nerve roots are irritated.

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