Hamstring Flexibility

Hi

I have been trying to get some flexibility into my hamstrings for years, trying different method and approaches but nothing seems to work, I can get my fingertips just past my knees on a good day.

Now the problem is that with legs straight the pain hits just behind the knee or a little lower, and from what I am led to beleive the pain or soreness should be felt at least one hand width up above the back of the knee.

So i tried something today, I slightly bent my knees and I could almost touch my toes before the pain again and I am now beginning to wonder if it is my hamstrings or could it be my ligaments, I have never damaged my legs in anyway although I do have a bad back.

From what I have posted, could it be a ligament problem and not the hamstring?

I also dislocated both my shoulders a while back and stupidly put them back in myself, about a year after I went for a health check to the doctors and he told me that I have lost around 30% of the ROM in my shoulders due to both shoulder and back tighness, he says it can be rectified with rehabilitation exercises and stretches but informed me that for these I would need a physiotherapist, unfortuantly at the moment that is out of the question for me, do you have any advice on exercises and stretches to help with the shoulders.

Cheers

Dougie

Dear Dougie
Are you sure the pain is a muscular pain (Hamstrings involvement)? Or is it radiating from your lumbar spine? I think from the looks of it, when you straighten your knee if you get pain further down your leg, it could implicate your lumbar spine. You need to screen the Lumbar spine well I suppose.

The soreness / pain I feel from trying a toe touch is completly different to when I am stretching other muscle groups to the limit, the pain hits right behind both knees. Instead of a gradual soreness when stretching, its just on or off, I get to the point in the toe touch and the pain is on, ease off in the tinyest increment and the pain is off.

Sorry if I am not explaining clearly.

Hi
Can you repeat a few of those streches and let me know if repeating about 5 or 7 repetitions each one with the knees straight changes your pain in any way? if you still want to be sure, you could try doing a modified SLR or a SlUMP test to rule out a neural element from the Lx Spine. If those are negative, then maybe you could try and strech the hamstrings in another position such as lying or with heel of the strech leg on a stool.. and then re check if the standing strech gives you the same pain as earlier.
hope this helps.

Hi

I have no problems doing the Back Slump Stretch, I am not quite sure what an SLR is.

As for Hamstring variations.
Standing Toe Touch
Seated Toe Touch
Raised Leg Toe Touch.

For each exercise the result is the same, the pain is felt in the same spot regardless of exercise and regardless of repetition..