Have you ever felt like your hamstrings were tight, and they hurt up at the top where they attach to the bottom of the pelvis? I had it for years. The "nagging" and pulling--with every step forward, they would grab my leg and pull it back. Lengthening my stride was not an option. I stretched them, but it didn't help. I thought I was living a life sentence of hamstring pain.
Then, I met Dr. Scott Hammons from Elite Sports and Spine in Seattle. I was at my favorite running store, West Seattle Runner, complaining about my pain in the ass, literally. He overheard me and asserted he could help me. I was skeptical since I'd been living with it for so long, but I thought I would give him a try.
Here is what I learned:
1) I had tendonitis! It took a few months to get rid of it. That's not too bad since I'd had it for so many years.
2) I had tendonitis because my hip flexors were tight. I don't fully understand what the hip flexors have to do with hamstrings, but the Dr. released my hip flexors and I was on the road to recovery. (Releasing was painful. I did my baby-labor breathing to get through it.)
3) As part of the recovery, ice the hamstrings. Especially where the pain is, and for me that was where the hamstrings attach to the ischial tuberosity at the bottom of the pelvis. Getting that part of your body cold is hard because it is in a pretty deep area. Ice baths would be best but I don't have the facilities to fill a bathtub with ice. Instead, I was able to step into Puget Sound for my ice bath. The average temp of Puget Sound is 45 degrees, and after 10 minutes in it everything pretty much feels numb.
4) I need to engage my glutes BEFORE my hamstrings. I'll write another post soon to share my exercises for engaging my glutes.
5) Stretch hip flexors for maintenance! I saved the most important one for the last.
- First is the butterfly stretch. It's probably a stretch you did as a kid in gym class. It turns out to be a valuable stretch! See picture above for a reminder of this one. (That picture also illuminates how my hip on the left is tighter than the right--the left knee is higher in the air!)
- Next, the kneeling groin stretch. Check out this video for very good instructions. https://youtu.be/YQmpO9VT2X4
- Finally, I worked my way up to the frog pose. Here is an example of frog pose. https://youtu.be/iuolmPBy_wM I was told to be sure my ankles are in line with my knees, and to flex my toes toward my shines. (Links to these videos posted with permission.)
If you've had hamstring pain for a long time, I hope this information gives you hope that there is a way to recover from it!
