Standing Hamstring Stretch

Learn the correct technique to safely and effectively perform this important stretch.

Although it has become common to refer to the long muscles at the back of the thigh as the hamstring muscles or the hamstrings, they are in fact the the tendons that attach the large muscles at the back of the thigh to bone.

The hamstring muscles themselves are the large muscles that pull on those tendons.

Anatomists refer to these as the posterior thigh muscles, and more specifically as the semimembranosus, the semitendinosus, and the biceps femoris muscles.

These muscles span the thigh, crossing both the hip and the knee. They begin at just below the buttocks and connect by means of their tendons onto the upper parts of the lower leg bones, the tibia and the fibula.

Although the tendons themselves can sometimes be involved in injuries, in this blog we refer to the hamstrings as the large muscle group at the back of the thigh as this is where our clients most frequently encounter tightness, trigger point activity and injury.

Who is prone to hamstring injuries?

The job of the hamstring muscles is to actively bend the knee and also to help straighten the hip - as in the motion of moving the thigh backward.

The hamstring muscles are not employed to any great degree with normal walking or standing. However, they are extremely important in power activities such as climbing, running and jumping.

Because of this, most people can get by with even quite weak hamstrings, whereas athletes and those who are very physically active will depend totally on healthy, and well-conditioned hamstrings.

Any activity that is associated with sudden acceleration when starting or during running can lead to a hamstring injury.

Common athletic activities where hamstring injuries occur include track and field events, football, baseball, soccer, and tennis.