Alleviating office-induced stiffness? A physical therapist suggests these four stretches to revitalize your body after a desk-bound day
In today's sedentary lifestyle, prolonged periods of sitting can have a significant impact on our physical health. One area that often suffers is the hamstring muscles, located at the back of our thighs. Sitting for extended periods can result in weak gluteal muscles, causing the hamstrings to overcompensate, leading to tightness and strain.
To combat this issue, incorporating a daily stretching routine can be highly beneficial. Here are some effective exercises and stretches that target the hamstring muscles:
- Supine Hamstring Stretch: Lie flat on your back, lift one leg, bend the knee to 90 degrees, hold your hamstring, and gently pull the leg toward your body. Hold for about 30 seconds and switch legs. This stretch is gentle and effective for relieving tightness.
- Standing Hamstring Stretch: Place one foot on a low surface like a chair or step, keep your leg straight, and lean forward slowly to reach toward your toes. Hold for 15–30 seconds and switch legs. This also stretches the calves and lower back, improving overall leg flexibility.
- Seated Hamstring Stretch: Sit on the floor with one leg extended and the other bent with the foot against the inner thigh. Reach toward the toes of the extended leg while keeping your back straight. Hold for 15–30 seconds and switch legs. Flexing the foot while reaching can deepen the stretch.
- Seated Forward Bend: Sit with legs straight in front, feet together, back straight. Hinge forward at hips and reach toward toes, feeling a stretch on the backs of thighs. Hold for 15–30 seconds and repeat as comfortable.
- Dynamic Hamstring March: This exercise involves standing upright, arms out at shoulder height, and walking forward while kicking legs straight in front. This movement provides a little cardio and balance boost, helps to alleviate hamstring tightness, and is an ideal movement to do before exercise.
- Glute Activation Exercises: Since prolonged sitting tightens hip flexors (which pull the pelvis forward, passively tensioning hamstrings), exercises that strengthen and activate the glute muscles can help reduce hamstring tightness indirectly.
Incorporating these stretches and exercises into your daily routine, especially after long periods of sitting, can improve hamstring flexibility, reduce stiffness, and potentially decrease injury risk. Combining stretches with glute activation and hip flexor mobility work provides a more comprehensive approach to addressing tight hamstrings caused by prolonged sitting.
Remember to hold static stretches for 15-30 seconds for the best effect, use deep breathing to relax muscles during stretches, and address hip flexors and glute strength to relieve the underlying causes of tight hamstrings from sitting.
Sources:
[1] Expert Source 1 [2] Expert Source 2 [3] Expert Source 3 [4] Expert Source 4
- regular practice of yoga, with its emphasis on flexibility and stretching, can contribute to improving hamstring flexibility, particularly during office hours when prolonged sitting is common;
- alongside physical wellness, adopting workforce well-ness programs that incorporate exercises like supine hamstring stretch, standing hamstring stretch, and seated hamstring stretch, can ensure mental health by promoting cardio and overall fitness-and-exercise;
- science supports the importance of improving hamstring flexibility not just for physical health but also for mental health, as suggested by several studies on health-and-wellness, suggesting better posture and reduced tension as potential benefits;
- foster a holistic approach to workplace wellness by combining stretching routines with glute activation exercises, as maintaining strong glutes can help alleviate tight hamstrings caused by prolonged sitting.
