Tendon Pain behind knee when touching toes.

Hi all

I have always been quite inflexible due to not really stretching, but I am trying to fix some flexibility issues. One of the main areas is my hamstrings, I think.

When I try to touch my toes I can get my hands down to around my knee area before I feel a pulling pain behind the knee, I have been to a couple of physios and they just tell me I am quite inflexible and stretch and be patient but the stretches I have tried have never really been felt in the hamstring, always behind the knee, and other stretches I just can't get into the position. I get this with both legs and to my knowledge I have never had any hamstring or tendon issue in this area.

Can anyone shed some light on this, do I just have very tight hamstrings and grin and bare the pain?

Cheers

Dougie

Pain behind the knee is more the connective tissue and also the neural tissue running down the back of the legs from the low back to the toes. If you slightly bend the knees when you feel the pain and can then bend relatively more forward towards the floor then it would indicate theses tissues are stopping you ahead of the hamstrings. Similarly if you lift the head (without bening the knees) and the pain reduces. Your observations are very normal and are not just an issue of tight hamstrings. Often they prevent you stretching further as they 'brake' the forward movement to avoid the inevitable pain that the brain knows you will experience if they were to let you go further.

You will only get lasting results by working/exercising and importantly strengthening the movement into the range of joint motion that you wish to achieve. Activites like Pilates, Gyrotonic and yoga can help you to achieve this faster than static stretching (which has little long term benefit).

Hi Physiobob

yes certainly sounds like me as I can bend my knees slightly and it allows me to get much further down, can you recommend any exercises that will help with this?

Cheers

Dougie

Unfortunately the exercises would depend on where in the neural chain the restriction is. This can only be assessed with a physical assessment by the appropriate professional. I would find someone to assess you with a view to working out where the main restriction is and then prescribe an approach to reduce that restriction. There's a great video on mobilization of the nervous system for the lower limb by Real Bodywork which I think would be interesting even to non-physiotherapists.