Hamstring Stretching Aids

The flexibility of your hamstrings directly impacts the motion and flexibility of your spine. If your hamstrings are tight, they’ll tug on your pelvic girdle, which can cause muscular imbalances and distorted posture. Many people who spend long hours sitting in an office suffer from swayback due to tight hamstrings and hip flexors. If you stretch your hamstrings on a regular basis, you can relieve the pressure on your hips. Stretching aids can be convenient and even take the place of a partner, enabling you to deepen hamstring stretches on your own.

  1. Household Objects

    • Household objects, such as a table, chair, banister or doorway, can provide you with leverage for hamstring stretches. For example, lie supine in a doorway with your buttocks next to the wall and against the door frame. Extend the outside leg through the doorway, and place the heel of the inside leg on the wall with your knee bent. Slowly slide the heel up the wall, straightening your leg until you feel a comfortable tension in your hamstring. You also can hold a table or chair for support in doing a standing stretch: Place one foot about 3 to 4 feet in front of the other and lean forward. Bend at the hips, keeping your back straight. Hold for 30 seconds. Lower your body more to deepen the stretch, and hold the peak position for another 15 to 30 seconds.

    Towels and Ropes

    • When you use towels or ropes, you’re basically extending the length of your arms to avoid rounding your back to complete the stretch. In contrast to forward bends with toe touches, in which you contract your quads and hip flexors, a supine towel stretch allows you to isolate the hamstring muscle. Your lower leg also can relax during the stretch. Begin by lying on the floor with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Wrap a towel around the foot of your right leg and then straighten the leg. Use the towel to gently lift your leg toward the ceiling, but only stretch your leg to the point of comfortable tension. You also can use a towel to pull your foot forward in a seated hurdler’s stretch.

    Resistance Bands

    • A resistance band works for a hamstring stretch in the same way as a towel or a rope; however, a resistance band gives you the added benefit of exercising your quads while stretching your hamstrings. The bands are inexpensive stretching aids that you can coil and tuck away in a tote bag. Perform the same sequence of movements as you would for the supine towel stretch. Press the arch of your working foot against the band, feeling the stretch along the entire back of your leg. At the peak position of the exercise, slowly flex and point your working foot and ankle 10 times, which will deepen the stretch.

    Stability Balls

    • Perform hamstring stretches sitting on a stability ball or lying supine. By using a ball, you can strengthen your stabilizer muscles while simultaneously stretching the backs of your legs. For example, sit on the ball, setting your heels on the floor. Straighten your legs, allowing your arms to hang at your sides, and flex your ankles, pointing your toes up. Slowly bend forward at the hips until you feel a stretch in your hamstrings. Avoid rounding your back. For a supine hamstring stretch, lie on your back and place your heels on the ball. Slowly roll the ball toward you with your feet until your knees bend at 90-degree angles. Keep your lower back and hips pressed to the floor. With both hands, hold one leg just above the knee and straighten it. Slowly lift it up toward the ceiling until you feel comfortable stretch in your hamstring. Repeat the stretch with the other leg.