Stretching Your Hamstrings Can Relieve Lower Back Pain

Back pain can strike anyone, at any time. The lower back is one of the most complicated and crowded areas of the body, a switching station for many of the body's nerves traveling from the upper body to the legs.

Back pain is the second leading cause of missed work in America, costing Americans 50 billion dollars annually. 50% of Americans will suffer some type of back pain this year, and 80% of Americans will suffer back pain at least once in their lifetime. [Back Pain Facts and Statistics]

Most cases of back pain are not caused by serious medical conditions, but are connected to poor posture, poor flexibility, and too much stress-in other words, most cases of back pain are preventable.

You can reduce your risk of having back pain by staying active and keeping your weight low, but even if you take good care of your body you can still have spasms, tightness, and pain.

There is one possible prevention and cure for back pain.

Our hamstrings connect our knees to our pelvis, and when these very important muscles are not used they will tighten and pull the pelvis from its normal position. [Tight Hamstrings]

A misaligned pelvis strains muscles, ligaments, and tendons in the lower back and near the spine, often resulting in spasms, or occasional sciatica when nerves in the lower back are pinched by tightened back muscles pulling against and compressing the spine.

Stretching lengthens the hamstring muscles, improving flexibility, and relieving the tension against the pelvis and the back.

What to do:

Stretching your hamstrings can be as simple as standing with your legs straight and bending over at the waist to touch your toes. [The Essential 2 Minute Stretch Program]

Sit on the floor with your legs straight and flat. As you did when standing, try to touch your toes, bending your midsection over your thighs to increase your reach. [Seated Hamstring Stretch]

Don't stretch until you feel pain, but keep a steady uncomfortable pressure on your hamstrings for ten to thirty seconds. A sudden, sharp pain is a sign that you're damaging your hamstrings and overdoing your stretching.

You can also incorporate two easy yoga poses, limbering your back muscles and stretching your spine to help increase flexibility and decrease pain. Cobra Pose, and Cat and Cow Pose are very effective at relieving the tension in your lower back.

Doing these stretches five minutes twice a day, every day (once in the morning and once at night), may give you the relief you've been looking for. Be consistent. You'll find little relief by stretching only every few days, and you'll miss out on many of the other benefits stretching provides.

Sources:
1. Back Pain Facts and Statistics, The American Chiropractic Association
2. Tight Hamstrings, Sports Injury Clinic
3. Chris Adams, The Essential 2 Minute Stretch Program, About.com
4. Seated Hamstring Stretch, exrx.net