How to Improve Dynamic Hamstring Flexibility
The hamstrings are a group of three muscles that bend the knee and flex the hip upwards. They are the biceps femoris, the semimembranosus, and the semitendinosus. Each of them starts on the ischial tuberosity (the bone in your butt), travels down the back of the leg, and connects below the knee. Inflexible hamstrings are common, but can contribute to an injury such as a hamstring strain. Proprioceptive neuromuscualr facilitation, or PNF, are strengthening techniques that can be done alone or with a partner to help improve flexibility and reduce the risk of injury.
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Instructions
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Slow-Reversal-Hold-Relax
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Have the patient lie down on the table with his legs hanging off the edge. Instruct him to flex one hip and place one hand on the back of his calf, near the foot. Place your other hand on his opposite knee to keep that leg from moving.
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Instruct the patient to relax his leg while you push it towards his head. The involved leg should be in line with his body, and pushed only far enough to produce a slight discomfort in the muscle.
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Tell the patient to contract his hamstring muscles and push back against your hand. Have him contract and push for ten seconds while you resist. Do not let the patient move his leg closer to you-it should remain in the place it started.
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After 10 seconds of contracting his muscles, tell the patient to relax again. Instruct him to contract his quadriceps muscles (on the front of his thigh) while you push his leg further up towards his body. You should notice a slight increase in flexibility.
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Have the patient relax for 10 seconds, then contract and push back against your hand once more. Again, do not let the patient actually move his leg closer to you. After the 10 seconds of contraction, repeat the quadriceps contraction and press his leg closer to his body again. Do at least three sets of the contraction-stretch cycle.
Contract-Relax
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The process for this technique is the same as mentioned above. When the patient contracts his hamstrings however, resist with less pressure and allow him to move the leg back down towards the ground.
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During the 10-second relax phase, push the hamstring back up towards his body until the patient feels a stretch. With this technique, the patient will NOT simultaneously contract his quadriceps while you stretch him.
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Repeat at least three cycles of this technique. You should notice increased flexibility with each cycle, even if it is just an inch or two.
Hold Relax
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The basic process is again similar to the ones described in the other techniques. When the patient is performing the 10-second hamstring contraction, provide enough resistance so he cannot move his leg closer to the ground.
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When performing the 10-second relaxation-stretch phase, the patient should NOT contract his quadriceps. Instead you will push the leg towards his body until the stretch is felt.
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Repeat the cycle at least three times, making sure to push the leg farther up towards the patient's body after every cycle.
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Tips & Warnings
If you do not have a partner, you can still perform the hold-relax method on your own. Just lie on your back and wrap a towel around the back of your lower calf/heel. Provide your own resistance as you contract the hamstrings, then pull on the towel to increase the stretch after each cycle.
These techniques can be performed on any muscle group in the body to increase flexibility.
Be sure not to apply too much pressure when stretching the hamstrings. You may accidentally push too far and injure the patient.
