Fri, 10 Apr 2026 15:45:39 -0700WeeblyMon, 12 May 2025 19:17:14 GMThttps://www.niagaraphysio.com/hamstrings-myth/myth-or-fact-if-the-backs-of-my-thighs-feel-tight-i-should-stretch-my-hamstringsUsually, a myth.  This is why:  Experience has shown me that hamstrings and gastrocnemius muscles react to sciatic nerve tension, and when we get to the root of the problem by reducing the tension in the nerve, the muscles naturally relax. 
I once had a patient with LBP who was a scientist.  As an avid cyclist, he said he always stretched his hamstrings because they felt tense.  I measured significant sciatic nerve tension and asked if he would be willing to try an experiment.  He was all in!  He was to do the sciatic nerve exercise and not to stretch his hamstrings for two weeks and then I would reassess.  Sure enough, he reported less hamstring tension and his sciatic nerve tension had reduced considerably.  I saw him years later and he said he continued with the nerve exercise and no hamstring stretches and was feeling great!
If you are a health or fitness professional and take my Low Back Course, you will learn how to assess and treat sciatic nerve tension quickly and gently.
If you take my Lower Quadrant Course, you will learn the common muscle imbalance, a good reason not to work the hamstring muscles in an open kinetic chain.  For more info, see the Blog tab.

Amy Riddick Physiotherapy, where mechanical injuries get mechanical treatment....


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