Functional problems associated with the knee-Part 2: Do tight hamstrings only need stretching?

摘要

Most active people and trainers place a great deal of emphasis on stretching tight hamstrings. Sadly, the tightness usually only decreases for a short time only to come back over and over again. If a muscle is very tight it is better to find out the cause of the tightness, rather than to continue to treat the symptom (e.g. poor flexibility, pulled muscles). One of the main factors associated with knee problems is weak hamstrings. Most people utilize the front of their thighs (the quadriceps) too much which puts added stress on their knees. A key way to help reduce knee pain and improve stability is to strengthen the hamstring muscles in the back of the thigh and knee. This will also help the muscles to stay relaxed since they will not be constantly getting overloaded causing a vicious cycle of overload reactive tightness more overload. It is simple to strengthen the hamstrings using a bridge exercise on a gymnastic ball.