Hamstring Stretch Exercise

From Montana Office on Aging and Brilliant Aging

Weeks of sedentary days can threaten your independence. Join us for simple activities you can do at home to support independence a resilience.

Losing physical function was considered a normal part of aging, but now we know better. It's very common and predictable, but preventable! Build up your functional reserves of strength, mobility and endurance to protect your independence.

Daily activities such as lifting, carrying, dressing and getting out of a chair or tub require arm strength. If you feel fatigued after completing small tasks that once seemed easy, it's time to intervene! Improve strength by asking your muscles to do more than they've been doing on a regular basis.

Daily activities such as walking, rising from a chair and getting into and out of bed, the tub or a car require leg strength. If you feel fatigued after completing some of these basic functional tasks it's time to intervene, as leg strength is key to remaining independent!

The last several columns have focused on the elements of a strong walking pattern: good posture, strong ankle flexion and heel strike, balanced weight transfer and proper stride length for forward (not side to side) movement.

Lower body mobility is critical for a proper walking pattern and also determines your ability to easily perform many basic functional tasks. Hamstring (back of upper leg) flexibility supports a strong walking pattern by supporting hip range of motion for a proper stride length. Hamstring flexibility also supports your ability to get into and out of the tub or a car and allows you to bend forward to reach things on the ground as when doing yard work, gardening and basic household chores.

Just like it's important to have muscle balance between the chest and upper back muscle for good posture, it's important to have muscle balance between the front and back muscles of the legs. Overly tight hamstring muscles can contribute to lower back pain and poor back alignment.

This hamstring stretch enhances lower body mobility to facilitate proper movement, and help prevent muscle injury when going about daily activities.

Always follow a physician's advice on exercise

Hamstring Stretch: Sit on the front edge of a chair with the left leg extended to the front and the right foot on the floor for stability. Flex the ankle and bend forward at the hips slowly, reaching down the leg until you feel a stretch in the back of the leg. Hold the stretch for 15-30 seconds, breathing normally. Sit upright then switch legs to repeat the exercise stretching the right leg. Repeat the full sequence 3 times.