#Complete anatomy bookmark full

This forward tilt, ironically, creates tension in the hamstring. In a standing pose that asks you to draw one knee toward your chest, you engage the iliopsoas muscles to lift the leg, which indirectly causes the hamstring of that same leg to lengthen.īut if the hip flexors are tight or weak, this can lead to an anterior (forward) tilt of the pelvis.

For example, in a forward bend, the iliopsoas contracts to help you bend forward at your hips, which lengthens the hamstrings. The contraction, or shortening, of the psoas muscle happens in tandem with the lengthening, or stretching, of the hamstring muscles. When your leg straightens, they lengthen. When your knee bends, the hamstrings contract. The hamstrings comprise three muscles that originate on the ischial tuberosity (your sit bones), run along the back of the thigh, cross behind the knee joint, and attach to the lower leg. The contraction of these muscles causes forward flexion, or bending at the hip joint, as well as lateral flexion, or bending the torso to the side. Known as the iliopsoas, this muscle group includes the psoas major and minor and originates at the lumbar spine and attaches to the femur (thigh bone). The degree to which you can benefit from any hamstring stretch is determined, in part, by the flexibility and strength of your hip flexors. The anatomy of tight hamstrings and hip flexors But understanding how your hip flexors can contribute to the problem-and, in turn, help alleviate it-enables you to more fully address the situation. Understanding exactly how they and nearby muscles support one another isn’t essential for you to stretch and find some relief. Take those tight hamstrings as an example. Just as you can’t fully appreciate the experience of daylight without also experiencing night, you can’t stretch a particular muscle without acknowledging-or at least inadvertently incorporating-the muscles that support it.

#Complete anatomy bookmark full

Get full access to Outside Learn, our online education hub featuring in-depth yoga, fitness, & nutrition courses, when youĮver find yourself fixated on stretching a particular part of your body? It makes sense to seek a solution for whatever your situation, whether you need stretches for tight hamstrings or poses to ease low back pain.īut despite your desire to zero in on a specific area, that’s not how your body works.