McHenry Back Pain Benefits from Hamstring Stretching and Flexibility

Hips and knees and hamstrings and spines are all connected. When one has an issue the others have to pick up the slack. For McHenry back pain patients who want relief of their back pain, it’s extra critical to be certain to strengthen everything. Beginning with the hamstrings is a great place as their strength and flexibility is tied to all the rest.

BENEFITS OF HAMSTRING FLEXIBILITY

Bending over to retrieve a shoe off the floor is no easy task. Chiropractors warn about the bending, lifting and twisting motions! Bending needs hamstring, knee, hip, and spine participation. They each must be individually in great shape. They must work together like clockwork. New research stated how hamstring stretching exercises significantly compounded the range of motion of active knee extension. Additionally, hip flexion was significantly increased by hamstring stretching while lumbar flexion and lumbar spine/hip flexion ratio dropped during recurring stoop lifting or daily activities. (1) Having flexible hamstrings and hip flexors protect the spine while flexing which is beneficial to McHenry back pain sufferers.

HOW BEST TO STRETCH HAMSTRINGS

How best to stretch hamstrings and hip flexors? For healthy young adults, static stretching was shown in one study to be successful in improving hamstring flexibility. (2) Static and proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation (PNF) stretching are both effective at enhancing hip flexion range of motion. (3) To OrthoIllinois Chiropractic, doing it in the proper way is key.  Stretching is always important.  Also, the goals of hamstring stretching are to lengthen the hamstring muscle as well as its lumbar flexion range of motion. Seated and standing hamstring stretching with knee extension are similarly effective to attain this goal. (4) Hip flexibility after exercise interventions with stretching and/or core endurance both produced enhanced hip range of motion and lumbar rotation range of motion during hip extension. (5) See how it all is connected? OrthoIllinois Chiropractic does!

CONTACT OrthoIllinois Chiropractic

Listen to this PODCAST with Dr. Jasmine Hornberger on The Back Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson as she describes a patient with spinal stenosis that instigates not only spine pain but hip pain and groin pain,too. She put into action The Cox® Technic System of Spinal Pain Management protocols to help this back pain patient find relief.

Schedule your next McHenry chiropractic appointment with OrthoIllinois Chiropractic.  We’ll help you find a path to flexible, lengthened hamstrings that supports the knee, hip, and spine so you can get anything off the ground that you need.