Tight Hamstrings? Don't Stretch, Do This Instead
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- Опубліковано 12 лип 2013
- Find relief for your hamstrings without doing a hamstring stretch with myofascial release techniques. Join the Mission Monday Challenge with Jill Tomich to get more Fitness & Weight Loss tips. Sign up online www.jilltomich.com.
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I know this video is several years old, but I was doing a UA-cam search on something to help my left hamstring issue. It had been chronic for 2 years! I am an advid long distance trail runner and road and tried everything. Then, I came across this video and did it 3 days in a row before I went on my next long run and WOW! It truly works! The kinetic chain from our feet on up is absolutely amazing to me!! My left hamstring would bother me on the hill repeats days and fast pick ups, but not anymore!! Thank you so much for having this video! Now I feel even more ready for my Sedona Race Feb 5!
Happy feet, happy hams!
Marie :)
"I know it sounds crazy but for some reason it works" the words of an expert
it probably doesnt
was exactly what I thought when I heard that.....
I found that distracting and I failed to hear the next couple of minutes of dialogue because I was focused on this sentence.
And I was so focused on my navel lint, I couldn't hear anything she said at all...
I've ordered a tennis ball online ....
I am a middle-aged, overweight, runner and I just came across this video. Tried the technique when I got home tonight, and the results were amazing to me. Knots and tension in my hamstrings that I'd stopped noticing were looser. This one is going in my toolkit. Thank you, Jill.
I learned this trick five years ago when I started Crossfit and discovered how tight my hamstrings really were. I'd come back from a class and after my body cooled down I'd have lower back pain so bad I could hardly walk. When I mentioned this to an instructor, he did a diagnostic test of my flexibility and noted I had mobility problems galore, including really tight hamstrings that resulted in lower back pain and plantar fasciitis. Rather than a tennis ball he advised using a lacrosse ball as the latter is firm enough to resist your weight while soft enough to avoid being painful. But she nailed the way you roll the ball under the foot from the point under the toes to the arch and all the way to the heel. I usually do each foot for a solid 3-5 minutes after getting home from class and it makes a world of difference in avoiding or diminishing any pain after I cool down from a stiff workout. You can also roll on the ball placed below your lower back on the floor and it will also help.
I have been trying to get rid of hamstring tightness for months. Massage, Chiro, probably too much (and incorrect) stretching. I have had plantar fasciitis in the past and used a Strassbourg sock a lot to help. I know Jill doesn't explain exactly why it works......but it worked for me!! I ran 30km yesterday and 10km today. Obviously my hamstrings were tight again, and my feet sore. I could actually feel part of my left hamstrings 'quiver' and release while using the ball. My left leg feels better now than it has in over six months.
For me this will become a daily routine.
Gotta love UA-cam. Sometimes you just stumble across the answer.
Thanks heaps Jill.
I used to do this after my 12 hour shifts at the hospital because my feet hurt so bad. It made my feet feel so much better and really relaxed me.
I’ve had tight quads and hams for 45 years of my 73 year life. Used to race dirt bikes and play softball extensively. Leg cramps, massages, stretching, pickle juice, etc. etc. etc. never in 1 million years would I believe something so simplistic could be so effective.! This is without a doubt the most informative and interesting video!❤
You should try and strengthen your hamstrings and quads. A week muscle is a tight muscle. Good Morning, RDLs, and Leg Curls, lunges, and squats. Your quads might be tight because they are the antagonist to the hamstring agonist and vice versa.
Worked 80 hours this week and helped a friend move this morning. The hamstring in my left leg was so tight I couldn't bend my knee. Tried this one time and it Worked! Thanks!
Wow!! I've had tight hamstrings for most of my life. I'm in
my 70's now and I've had problems hiking for years. This past winter it started
impacting my cross country skiing. I was almost to the point of thinking I
would have to give up the things I love doing. I have been to physical therapy
a number of times but it didn't really help. I decided to look on the internet
and see if I could find a stretching exercise that would work. I ran across
this video and thought it didn't make any sense but decided to give it a try.
Two days later I decided to take a hike and started walking at a fast pace to
see how long it would take my hamstring to tighten up. It didn't. I hiked 4
miles without any problems. I've since resumed pain free hiking.
I can't believe how much this hurt. I searched the internet for relieve of my leg tightness and found your UA-cam video. I haven't slept throughout the night in decades. I always need to get up and stretch because the legs are so tight. My girlfriend thanks you also.
This worked perfectly for me. I don't care how or why. Thanks Jill!
Hi! I just wanted to thank you for this, I have been miserable for years with tight hamstrings affecting knees and getting worse, doctors were useless! this fixed it in thirty seconds! life is so much better thanks to this technique thankyou!
I do this with lacrosse balls. Works wonders! I'm a barefoot runner and the techniques in this video not only help leg muscles, but also keep my muscles and fascia in my feet nice and loosened up so that they perform the way they should... AND pain free.
Worked for me. Before doing it, could not really touch the toes and after I could. Was not using a tennis ball but was using those solid recovery massage balls. Shall see how this translates with my running later. Thanks Jill!
Coming back to this video, after practicing this for a week feel much much better. Thank you again so so much ❤️
It does work. I just did it and the pain in my left calf, which I've had for days, stopped. Thank you!
Hi, If you apply this type of pressure to your plantar fascia, I believe you will stretch it releasing some of it's arch supporting function. As a long distance runner some 40 years ago, after doing this as you suggested, I felt some of my old foot pains in the heel. I do think that this is an interesting technique but I would caution people to start seated and see if it helps before "putting all the pressure you can" onto that ball. I have flat feet as a child so I don't have much to lose in my arch. I'm a Physical Therapist and LMT, and that's my two cents. I would suggest a number of techniques to gain HS mobility. I wouldn't stop stretching. Add some helper PNF, warm up the muscle with external heat, stretch in a whirlpool, stretch in a pool with less body weight, stretch with come connective tissue massaging, release some trigger points. Eventually, the HS will elongate. But stretching will have to be done everyday to maintain gains.
would you recommend to do this exercise to someone with plantar fasciitis ? I have had hamstring problems but right I have plantar fasciitis in my left foot.
So do I :/
+Jon White You know that the Plantar fascia is not a muscle. It doesn't have a connection beyond the ankle which it never approaches or crosses. The hamstring is a muscle which originates in the ischium of the hip and crosses the knee to insert into the top of the tibia and fibula so no connection there either. As far as the calf muscles, the common insertion point is on the Calcaneus.
The plantar fascia is on the bottom of the foot. It is a connective tissue which doesn't have a contractile function. It is not a living tissue like the muscle which has the ability to contract and relax. the fascia is a matrix of water, protein, and living cells which spit out protein and eats the fascia. So while the fascia can affect the mechanics further up the leg, the reverse is less likely.
+Jon White hi I'm a physical therapist and a massage therapist. I'm only commenting on your statement. Problems in the architecture of the foot affects the muscles higher up while in general problem up the chain in the calf and hamstring will have little effect on the plantar fascia in a normal person.
+Jon White my first question in response is can you site this research?
Secondarily, from an anatomical perspective alone there is no physical connection between the muscle groups you cited and the plantar fascia. This was my point in reviewing the anatomy. Finally from a biomechanics perspective in a closed chain those muscles are affected by the architecture of the foot and not the other way around. The plantar fascia holding the arch in place under body weight affects the functioning of the calf muscles. As a flat foot vs an arched foot will affect the forces of heel strike to toe off in gait on the calf muscles.
I don't know what you know. I have 26 years of LMT, 16 yrs of PT, 40 yrs of running, and the combination of education, human dissection, and athletic experience which run counter to you opinion and I feel is reflective of the "research" in my fields. But you aren't going to believe me based on my saying so as I'm not inclined to believe you invoking "research"
What a great little vid.. simple and effective. Thank you!
...tried this, it works great! Thank you!
It actually worked for me ! Thanks Jill.
Thank you. This and foot stretches and strengthening finally relieved my pain from a hamstring tear that lingered for 10 years. Excellent video.
thanks Jill. surprisingly this worked! this will be a part of my post Tennis match routine from now on. thank you much!
In my opinion While applying pressure on the ball ,
Tibia bone moves forward slightly, which in turns to relieve tightness in posterior capsule of knees .
In addition , calf (gastrocnemius) is a secondary knee flexor , and by pressing a ball It contracts isometrical , which further helps in to relieve tightness of the calf.
And finally , this position which again produce isometric contraction of quadriceps and helps to relieve tightness in hamstring .
Thus the Range in knee bending (flexing) improves ...
THANK YOU
Someone's a Dr.
My right foot and hamstring feels so much different (BETTER) from my left side by doing this technique. Thank you!!!
I love you for sharing this
Pure gold! Pain disappeared!
I cant wait to try this. Thanks for your video.
thank you Jill! i have had a hamstring injury and always feel tight, i felt immediate relief after doing this. :)
It really works?
I'm a dancer and I have very tight hamstrings and this helped me so much!
Thanks! This helped reduce the tremendous pain Iʻve had in my middle toes that has had me limping for a week. I read that it was related to tight hamstrings causing tendon inflammation--whatever---the tennis ball stretch helped a lot.
yes! i’m a runner and tap dancer so it’s a lot of pressure on my feet! thanks!
for those of you who question the validity of this treatment modality i would suggest you read Tom Myers and understand the Myofascial Meridian lines. Great post Jill.
Facia fascia everywhere...it's sooo true. Same with IT bands and everywhere...thank you for this important reminder!
Thx, just tried this, helps a lot
Thank you for posting this. I have an old foot injury that has caused my hamstring to tighten and cramp more often than I'd like. This exercise brought relief to both my foot and hamstring for the first time in a year.
Great video by the way; very informative and practical
Thanks a lot Jill
tight hamstrings were causing some behind the knee pain , did this release and immediate relief you are awesome
This is amazing 👏
awesome advice! I use tennis balls for all over body self acupressure massage as well together with foam rollers. the feet have all the body's reflex areas. Thanks for this video!
Thanks for the awesome video and information. I found I could use a small grip ball. It has a lot of squishy give to it. You can do it when you’re seated if balance is a problem.
.... good job on adding joint strain to relieve muscles
This actually worked for me!its the first time I touched my toes in 6 years
This worked for me! Thanks a bunch!!!
this stretch was awesome
Very helpful!!! Loosen up my leg/running problem
I used a tennis ball after my half marathon where I had bad pain on the bottom of my foot. Deffinitely helped me heal faster.
Very helpful
Jill
I have a fused right foot with 5 pins in my ankle joint and 2 pins in the large metatarsal bone. Will this still work to loosen my hammies?
Thank you!
Fantastic upbeat straight to the point advice. You're fab! will try it out with my dog's tennis ball .. If they let me ... Thanks!
Bravo! Flexibility is primarily neurological. Traditional passive Stretching inhibits performance & increases risk of injury.
omg it really works thank you soooo much
Thanks Jill
life saver thanks!!!! :D
I use a foam roller but this looks helpful, good video!
This worked really well for me, thank you!
Thanks!
It did work, thanks Jill
i popped 3 of my tennis balls trying this.
+mikemilks coz you are FAT!
+mikemilks use a lacrosse ball. works wonders
+MrOnionCock I used LEGO
+mikemilks I use a lacrosse ball. It's still a tad softer than a baseball, but much firmer than a tennis ball.
+mikemilks Im going to try using a marshmallow
Thank you for sharing. I find my left ankle is tighter than my right after years of driving OTR. This makes tightness up the leg. I'll be buying a ball soon: maybe a rubber ball for dogs.
Thanks, Jill. It helped me. Aloha.
NO ONE does this! I am amazed to see someone address this. I do this before every dead lift & squat session.
thanks
I can't see position leg, extension or semi flexion.
I'm always finding ways to stretch my hamstrings and I will definitely try this one. Thank you!
Did it work for you?
Yes:)
Amazing!
nice technique
thank you
Hey Jill, I really like your rug. Would it be available online somewhere? Peace.
I've no idea how, but feels like it works!
It would be helpful to give the rationale behind this foot mobilization?
The fact that your mobilizing the terminal end of the posterior chain doesn’t guarantee or promise any further extensibility upstream?
An integrated approach, by mobilizing the plantar fascia along with the posterior crural fascia lines and all superficial back lines, might allow further ROM in an ASLR test, or a neutral spine-Good Morning?
Not all facial restrictions in the posterior chain originate in the plantar fascia!
This appears to be a meridian chain or acu-pressure points application, not a soft-tissue mob?
Sadly I have mortens neuromas in both feet so couldn't possibly try this, but sounds interesting. Thanks for the idea.
Ty
i just did it and it works, thank you. less pain and i can reach much lower to the ground
Does this work with a baseball or would it be too hard?
Hi! It is posible to use a hard foam roller instead ?
It worked, thank you :)
It does work thank u!
Have worked out both feet twice a day (very painful) since last week and have found that this release does work.
Normally turning over in bed my right knee would scream with pain. No pain noted now. Just have to stay with it.
super interesting
Can you do the same thing for your back and shoulders?
Thanks this worked
Thanks for video keep going 🤠 greeting from Morocco
interesting, thanks.
cool thxs
amazing you're a miracle worker
Toes always spasmed and got incredibly ill-feeling when I stretched. Life saver
Myofascial release comes with a drawback. It deactivates muscles as well as breaking down adhesions/knots. If someone for example does it on their glutes that can be a great thing but you have to strengthen/reactivate them afterwards otherwise you could be in for a world of back issues. IN this case being flat footed and developing plantar fasciitis which is excruciating. Dancers do this a lot on their arches but focus on a very evil but wooden "rolling pin" with ridges but do exercises to strengthen the arch. So please with each release or stretch video keep in mind something for keeping balance. Pilates was invented by dancers as well to bring balance back to the kinetic chain.
A lot of negative comments by 'experts.' Yet no one has yet connected the plantar and the hamstring before until I saw this lady. I have plantar fasciitis brought on by of all things- stretching the hamstring. At least this lady is connecting the two. Please find me any other person that shows that one can affect the other the way it happened to me. I give her credit for that.
Most people have weak hamstrings from sitting down all day. Stretching them further will usually injure yourself. Calves tend to be tighter and stretching there will relieve the foot
Very useful
Thanks
a boy overstreched my left left past 3 months and i got so bad pain my lower butt tendon but now the pain is less than before so what should i do now to relief from this pain?
I'll try it
I do this with a Lacrosse ball...hurts even more than a tennis ball,but,better results..for me that is,I've had Plantar Faciatis on both feet from running, twisting my ankles and not treating them right away. Running is extremely hard on your feet.... massage,rolling on a ball works!
I've done this many, many, many times (it's easy and it feels good :-) ), but felt no improvement in my tight hammies or calves
Can I use a lacrosse ball for this instead of a tennis ball?
She has wisdom
awesome mam
THIS ACTUALLY WORKED OMGG