Do You Need Physical Therapy for Your Tight Hamstrings?
If you’ve ever experienced pain in your hamstrings after a strain or a tough workout, you know how debilitating it can be! Your hamstring muscles are large muscles that run up the back of your thigh. These hamstring muscles are responsible for flexing the knee and extending the hip.
When you injure or pull these muscles, or if you have tight hamstring muscles, you may find these motions difficult or impossible to achieve without significant pain.
So, how do you know when you need physical therapy? Check in with your body!
Your physical therapist can help determine if you have tight hamstrings by performing the 90 degree test.
To perform this test, lay with your back on the ground and extend both legs in front of you. Then, determine the range of motion of each leg’s hamstring muscles by grasping one leg behind the knee, making a 90 degree angle to the opposite leg. Keep this knee bent for now.
Then, try to extend the bent leg as far as you comfortably can without rounding the back or bending the extended leg. Your physical therapist can help you measure the angle of extension or you can ask a friend for help.
An adult should be able to achieve 70 to 80 degrees, and a child should be able to achieve closer to 90 degrees.
If your hamstrings are too tight to achieve this degree of flexion, you may need physical therapy. A physical therapist can you help you by prescribing a series of exercises and stretches, among other techniques, which can help you achieve greater levels of flexibility and strength in your hamstring muscles.
At Cape Fear Orthopedics and Sports Medicine, our physical therapists will perform a comprehensive evaluation specific to you needs. We offer a high level of treatment to all our patients. Physical therapy can not only help treat existing injuries, but also aid in preventing injuries down the road by helping you understand your specific body mechanics.
Contact us today at 910-484-2171 to get started for your first visit!
