Five most common reasons for hamstring tightness and why it matters?
Hamstrings tightness is a common occurrence in the modern society with our sedentary lifestyles and long sitting hours. Most people associate hamstrings tightness with only the back of the thighs. However, tightness of the hamstrings can be a cause of your lower back or pelvic pain. The reason is that the hamstrings are attached to the ischial tuberosity, which are a bony area on the lower end of the pelvis. Interestingly, these are the bones that we sit on, thus they are also referred to as ‘sit bones’. Due to this connection when the hamstrings are tight, they tilt the pelvis into a backward direction which in turn flexes the lumbar spine forwards. This can then negatively affect the alignment of the spine, leading to lower back or pelvic pain. So it is very important to sort out the tightness in this muscle.
 
Now lets look at the five most common reasons for hamstring tightness:
 
This is one of the most common, yet overlooked reason for hamstring tightness. People who sit with their knees bent at an angle either with the legs crossed or one leg tucked under the bottom keep their hamstrings in a shortened position for a prolonged period of time, thus adapting the muscle fibres to this shortened position, leading to hamstring tightness. 
 
Hamstrings can get tight in certain posture deviations of the lumbar spine such as a lower cross syndrome. Here the abdominal and gluteal muscles are weak while the hip flexors and lower back paraspinal muscles along with the hamstrings are tight. 
 
#3. Lack of warm up and cool down: 
Most of us know the importance of warm up and cool down before and after exercises. However the majority of people skip these two vital steps, leading to tightness in muscles and post workout soreness. Tightness are more common in the major muscles groups including the hamstrings. 
 
#4. Low back pain with sciatic nerve involvement:
The sciatic nerve supplies the back of the thigh and calf muscle. When there is irritation or compression of this nerve it can give rise to tightness of the hamstrings. 
 
#5. Compensation for other muscles: 
Hamstrings can get tight as a compensation to weak gluteal muscles, in order to maintain a balance in the area.  
 
There are many ways to manage hamstring tightness. The easiest is regular stretching of the muscle. You can also work on reducing the tightness in your hamstrings by deep tissue massage, hot pack, cold packs, dry needling, foam rolling, flossing, postural correction, good ergonomic desk and chairset up and avoiding all the factors mentioned above, that can predispose you to tight hamstrings.  

Learn more on how to manage your neck, back, joint and nerve pain in my free community HEREwhere we discuss these topics in a judgement free and friendly manner. 

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MEET SWATI

 
Hi there! 
I am Swati, an Executive Mum Power Coach and a Certified Posture Expert. I use my proven system to help mums of younger kids working in high-stress executive jobs manage their back, neck, and nerve pains, despite low energy levels and brain fog. I do all this without taking away a big chunk of their time out of their already busy day. This enables them to be more productive and capable professionals at work and guilt-free mums who can focus on their kids instead of always being distracted by pain. 



My passion for helping executive mums stems from my own experiences. I have been in the same boat and understand the frustration and helplessness of being in constant pain or being afraid to engage in activities due to the fear of pain. After two pregnancies in the span of three years and juggling my two kids, housework, and a demanding job, I was constantly in pain. The weight gain from motherhood added extra stress to my already overburdened spine and joints. I was stuck in a vicious cycle of weight loss and spinal/nerve pain that I just couldn’t break free from.

On top of the physical pain, I also suffered from adrenal fatigue. I often felt exhausted, waking up groggy even after a full night’s (10 to 12 plus hours!) sleep, and struggled with low energy levels and brain fog. Simple tasks became challenging, and I found myself forgetting things and unable to think clearly. It was incredibly frustrating and made it even harder to balance my professional responsibilities and family life.

My work involved long hours of standing during the day, prolonged hours on the laptop in the evening, and lots of running around and rocking my kids to sleep in between. Despite my knowledge and expertise in pain relief, I still found myself unable to escape the constant daily pain and fatigue.

Sitting at a desk job from 9 to 5, or longer, plus endless meetings that seem to go on forever. The frequent traveling, the uncomfortable hotel pillows that make it impossible to get a good night’s sleep—I’ve experienced it all. I remember not being able to share my discomfort at work because I felt like an imposter, talking about pain relief strategies and focusing on work while I was not able to achieve it myself. I didn’t disclose the extent of my pain and forgetfulness to my colleagues for years. Even though I loved my kids and my job, I couldn’t give 100% to either. The discomfort held me back from reaching my full potential, making me feel guilty as a mum and less productive at work. I felt like I was constantly running on empty, unable to catch a break from the pain and exhaustion.

finally got fed up after years of trying and decided to make a New Year’s resolution to get ‘healthy’ instead of focusing solely on my pain, fatigue, forgetfulness, and weight loss. When I shifted my focus to getting healthier by reducing the inflammation in my body and addressing my adrenal fatigue, the pain started to decrease, my energy levels and focus improved, and the pounds started shedding off too! That, of course, meant a happier spine, nerves, joints, and a happier me! Today, my neck, back, and nerve pain are down to zero, my knee pain has reduced by 75%, my brain fog has reduced drastically and my energy levels are higher than ever. I realized that I had been focusing on the wrong solutions for over a decade!

Now, my mission is to share my knowledge of pain relief and managing adrenal fatigue along with my personal experience with other mums, especially those with younger kids who work in high-stress executive jobs. My goal is to help you find lasting relief, boost your energy, and reclaim your life, just as I did. 

If you can relate to all this, you are not alone. As a mum, I have been there and done that—momma, I got you! I’ve helped hundreds of mums in this situation over the years find their solution to manage spinal and joint pains, low energy levels, and brain fog that hold them back. This enables them to feel confidently in control and empowers them to cultivate that confidence and productivity at work and enjoy being with their kids, to be able to run around with them without the fear of injury or pain.

Are you ready for this journey? Ask me how if you are curious.

Let's DO THIS!
xx Swati
** Executive Mum Power Coach **

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