Hamstring Myths Debunked
BY AMBER BURKE & JONINA TURZI The hamstrings are three long muscles ( semitendinosus , semimembranosus and biceps femoris ) at the back of the thighs. Their job is to flex (bend) the knee and extend the hip, though it might feel at times as if their primary responsibility is to stymie our attempts to forward fold! Sitting in chairs , an activity in which these muscles are both inactive and at their shortest length, is a primary culprit for tight-feeling hamstrings. A lack of flexibility in and around the hamstrings can cause postural problems, and can set the stage for spinal disc injury by pulling the ischial tuberosities (sitting bones) down and forcing a posterior (backward) tilt of the pelvis. That posterior tilt flattens the curve of the lumbar spine (lower back), and makes it hard to hinge safely into forward folds like uttanasana (standing forward fold), prasarita padottanasana (...