The hamstring muscle, or back of your thigh muscle, consists of the semitendinosus, semimembranosus and biceps femoris muscles. The more common name "hamstring," was based on how the legs of a ham were hung. The muscle functions to flex, or bend your knee joint. Tight hamstrings are a common ailment during exercise and can lead to back problems. There are several causes for hamstrings that tighten with exercise.
Inflexible Hamstrings
Inadequate flexibility can lead to increases in hamstring pulls and muscle tears. Contributing factors to poor flexibility include genetics, posture and poor mechanics. You can be born tight-jointed, average jointed or loosely jointed. Tightened joints limit mobility and cause alignment problems. Spinal mis-alignments can pull hips forward, resulting in tightened hamstrings. Tightened muscles do not allow your legs to fully extend, limiting flexibility and causing pain with exercise, according to Sports Injury Clinic. Stretching before and after exercise can help improve flexibility and diminish hamstring pain with exercise.
Inactivity
Remaining seated and inactive for long periods of time can lead to tight hamstrings. While seated, your knees are bent, causing your hamstrings to contract. Contractions held for long periods of time can shorten muscles. While exercising, your hamstrings are being contracted and stretched. The shortened muscles may have difficulty lengthening, resulting in feelings of pain and tightness. Avoid sitting for long periods of time -- walking around periodically will lengthen your hamstring muscles and diminish tightness.
Muscle Imbalance
The hamstring muscles are opposed by the quadriceps, the front of your thighs. When quadricep strength is greater than hamstring strength, there is a muscle imbalance. Muscle imbalances make it difficult to fully extend your affected joint. When your knee joint cannot be fully extended, the hamstrings are unable to fully extend, resulting in pain and stiffness with extended periods of exercise. Weaker hamstrings are more likely to fatigue, or become tired sooner than stronger hamstrings, causing muscles to tighten. To reduce muscular imbalance, strengthen your hamstrings with weight training exercises.
Inadequate Warm Ups
Before exercising, a warm up functions to generate heat and synovial fluid to the working muscles and joints, preparing your body for exercise. Exercising without a warm up results in contracting cold muscles, notes Sports Injury Bulletin. Adding a warm up prior to exercise can decrease muscle tightness. Perform dynamic stretches, or stretches with movement before exercise, to improve muscle function. Add static stretches, which are slow sustained stretches, after exercise to reduce pain and stiffness.
References
- Lift With The Legs.com: Home: Hamstrings: Encyclopedia
- Peak Performance: Hamstring Injury: Preventing and Treating Tears, Strains and Pulls with Hamstring Exercises
- Sports Injury Clinic: Tight Hamstrings
- Natural Sciatic Relief: Piriformis Syndrome: Piriformis Stretches & Treatments
- Sports Injury Bulletin: Tight Hamstrings: Can Moist Heat Beat Classic Hamstring Flexibility Exercises?
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