If You’ve Ever Pulled a Hamstring, You’ll Love This Exercise From Pleasantview Physiotherapy
Your hamstrings are 3 large muscles that run the backs of your thighs from your hips to just below your knees. Hamstrings help you walk, run, and jump because they bend your knees and move your hips backward.
If you have back pain or your rebounds aren’t so great in a pickup game, you probably need this hamstring mobilization exercise. You can do this one at home with a tennis ball.
1. You’ll be targeting your hamstring muscles on the back of your thighs from your knees to your buttocks.
2. Using a hard surface to sit on like a wooden chair, place the tennis ball between the surface and your leg.
3. Make sure to place the tennis ball to the side of your hamstring muscle, not directly under. If you feel tingling in your feet, you’re directly on the hamstring and need to move the ball to the side.
4. Pinning the ball between your leg and the chair, find a nice spot at the back of your knee to work on. Straighten and bend your leg, flexing your hamstring to break up any adhesion.
5. Move the tennis ball up towards your buttocks and find another sore spot to work on.
6. Continue working your way up, but be especially careful as you get up higher on your thigh not to put pressure in the middle, only on the outside.
7. Going all the way up at your hip bone, work on putting pressure on sore spots, bending and straightening your leg, to break up any adhesion.
8. This exercise really helps with your hip flexion and stride when you’re running or deadlifting.
9. Repeat this exercise on the other leg. You can perform this hamstring mobilization exercise for about 2 minutes every other day.
Whether you’re an athlete or not, mobilizing your hamstrings can have a positive effect on how you move your body. Especially if you have any pain in your back or hamstrings, performing this exercise can provide the relief you’re looking for.
Contact us today to schedule a session with a licensed physical therapist to get strong and healthy.