Prolonged sitting can adversely affect your hips and back, particularly once you’re up and moving. If you know how to achieve hamstring length and strength, you can potentially prevent pain, improve your posture, and move better.

Note: This post is for information only and is not intended to replace the advice of a physician or an assessment by other wellness professionals.

Many people think they’re tight in their hamstrings. But they don’t often consider why they’re tight. One possible cause is pelvic position.

The hamstrings cross the back of the knee joint and attach to the bottom of the pelvis. Your hamstrings can become tight from prolonged flexion of the knee (as in sitting). However, hamstring tightness can also be caused by tight hip flexors (also a result of prolonged sitting).

At first glance, that doesn’t sound right – it doesn’t seem that tightness on the front of the hip could cause tightness in the back of the hip. In this video, I explain the relationship between tight hip flexors and hamstring tension and show how to achieve hamstring length and strength:

A Three-Pronged Approach

  • Hip flexor stretch to correct an anterior pelvic tilt and reduce tension on the hamstrings
  • Hamstring and glute strengthening to maintain a neutral pelvis
  • Hamstring stretching as needed

Hip Flexor Tightness and Pelvic Tilt

Tight hip flexors can pull your pelvis forward into an anterior pelvic tilt. In an anterior tilt, the ‘hip bones’ that you feel on either side of your lower abdomen come forward. This anterior tilt will increase the lordosis or forward curve of the low back, increasing the load on the lumbar spine.

At the same time, that anterior pelvic tilt tips the bottom of the pelvis – what we think of as our sitting bones – up and back, which increases the tension on the hamstrings. Hip flexor stretching allows the pelvis to move into a more neutral position and decreases the pull on the hamstrings from the pelvis.

Hamstring Strength and Pelvic Tilt

Once you achieve that neutral pelvic position, you can help maintain it by strengthening the hamstrings and glutes. In the video above, I show a Bulgarian Split Squat. There are many other exercises you can do, including Romanian Deadlifts and Bridging Exercises.

Hamstring Stretching

If you tend to have an anteriorly tilted pelvis, a good starting point is to stretch the hip flexors and strengthen the hamstrings and glutes to encourage a more neutral pelvic position. After that, if you still feel tight in your hamstrings, you can stretch your hamstrings as shown in the video or using other appropriate techniques.

If you’d like another approach to combat the effects of prolonged sitting, try my 10 Minute Desk Stretch.

Stay fit!