Find relief for your hamstrings without doing a hamstring stretch with myofascial release techniques. Join the Mission Monday Challenge with Jill Tomich to get more Fitness & Weight Loss tips. Sign up online www.jilltomich.com.
I know this video is several years old, but I was doing a RU-vid search on something to help my left hamstring issue. It had been chronic for 2 years! I am an advid long distance trail runner and road and tried everything. Then, I came across this video and did it 3 days in a row before I went on my next long run and WOW! It truly works! The kinetic chain from our feet on up is absolutely amazing to me!! My left hamstring would bother me on the hill repeats days and fast pick ups, but not anymore!! Thank you so much for having this video! Now I feel even more ready for my Sedona Race Feb 5! Happy feet, happy hams! Marie :)
I have been trying to get rid of hamstring tightness for months. Massage, Chiro, probably too much (and incorrect) stretching. I have had plantar fasciitis in the past and used a Strassbourg sock a lot to help. I know Jill doesn't explain exactly why it works......but it worked for me!! I ran 30km yesterday and 10km today. Obviously my hamstrings were tight again, and my feet sore. I could actually feel part of my left hamstrings 'quiver' and release while using the ball. My left leg feels better now than it has in over six months. For me this will become a daily routine. Gotta love RU-vid. Sometimes you just stumble across the answer. Thanks heaps Jill.
I am a middle-aged, overweight, runner and I just came across this video. Tried the technique when I got home tonight, and the results were amazing to me. Knots and tension in my hamstrings that I'd stopped noticing were looser. This one is going in my toolkit. Thank you, Jill.
I learned this trick five years ago when I started Crossfit and discovered how tight my hamstrings really were. I'd come back from a class and after my body cooled down I'd have lower back pain so bad I could hardly walk. When I mentioned this to an instructor, he did a diagnostic test of my flexibility and noted I had mobility problems galore, including really tight hamstrings that resulted in lower back pain and plantar fasciitis. Rather than a tennis ball he advised using a lacrosse ball as the latter is firm enough to resist your weight while soft enough to avoid being painful. But she nailed the way you roll the ball under the foot from the point under the toes to the arch and all the way to the heel. I usually do each foot for a solid 3-5 minutes after getting home from class and it makes a world of difference in avoiding or diminishing any pain after I cool down from a stiff workout. You can also roll on the ball placed below your lower back on the floor and it will also help.
Worked 80 hours this week and helped a friend move this morning. The hamstring in my left leg was so tight I couldn't bend my knee. Tried this one time and it Worked! Thanks!
I’ve had tight quads and hams for 45 years of my 73 year life. Used to race dirt bikes and play softball extensively. Leg cramps, massages, stretching, pickle juice, etc. etc. etc. never in 1 million years would I believe something so simplistic could be so effective.! This is without a doubt the most informative and interesting video!❤
You should try and strengthen your hamstrings and quads. A week muscle is a tight muscle. Good Morning, RDLs, and Leg Curls, lunges, and squats. Your quads might be tight because they are the antagonist to the hamstring agonist and vice versa.
Wow!! I've had tight hamstrings for most of my life. I'm in my 70's now and I've had problems hiking for years. This past winter it started impacting my cross country skiing. I was almost to the point of thinking I would have to give up the things I love doing. I have been to physical therapy a number of times but it didn't really help. I decided to look on the internet and see if I could find a stretching exercise that would work. I ran across this video and thought it didn't make any sense but decided to give it a try. Two days later I decided to take a hike and started walking at a fast pace to see how long it would take my hamstring to tighten up. It didn't. I hiked 4 miles without any problems. I've since resumed pain free hiking.
Hi! I just wanted to thank you for this, I have been miserable for years with tight hamstrings affecting knees and getting worse, doctors were useless! this fixed it in thirty seconds! life is so much better thanks to this technique thankyou!
I do this with lacrosse balls. Works wonders! I'm a barefoot runner and the techniques in this video not only help leg muscles, but also keep my muscles and fascia in my feet nice and loosened up so that they perform the way they should... AND pain free.
I can't believe how much this hurt. I searched the internet for relieve of my leg tightness and found your RU-vid video. I haven't slept throughout the night in decades. I always need to get up and stretch because the legs are so tight. My girlfriend thanks you also.
Hi, If you apply this type of pressure to your plantar fascia, I believe you will stretch it releasing some of it's arch supporting function. As a long distance runner some 40 years ago, after doing this as you suggested, I felt some of my old foot pains in the heel. I do think that this is an interesting technique but I would caution people to start seated and see if it helps before "putting all the pressure you can" onto that ball. I have flat feet as a child so I don't have much to lose in my arch. I'm a Physical Therapist and LMT, and that's my two cents. I would suggest a number of techniques to gain HS mobility. I wouldn't stop stretching. Add some helper PNF, warm up the muscle with external heat, stretch in a whirlpool, stretch in a pool with less body weight, stretch with come connective tissue massaging, release some trigger points. Eventually, the HS will elongate. But stretching will have to be done everyday to maintain gains.
would you recommend to do this exercise to someone with plantar fasciitis ? I have had hamstring problems but right I have plantar fasciitis in my left foot.
+Jon White You know that the Plantar fascia is not a muscle. It doesn't have a connection beyond the ankle which it never approaches or crosses. The hamstring is a muscle which originates in the ischium of the hip and crosses the knee to insert into the top of the tibia and fibula so no connection there either. As far as the calf muscles, the common insertion point is on the Calcaneus. The plantar fascia is on the bottom of the foot. It is a connective tissue which doesn't have a contractile function. It is not a living tissue like the muscle which has the ability to contract and relax. the fascia is a matrix of water, protein, and living cells which spit out protein and eats the fascia. So while the fascia can affect the mechanics further up the leg, the reverse is less likely.
+Jon White hi I'm a physical therapist and a massage therapist. I'm only commenting on your statement. Problems in the architecture of the foot affects the muscles higher up while in general problem up the chain in the calf and hamstring will have little effect on the plantar fascia in a normal person.
+Jon White my first question in response is can you site this research? Secondarily, from an anatomical perspective alone there is no physical connection between the muscle groups you cited and the plantar fascia. This was my point in reviewing the anatomy. Finally from a biomechanics perspective in a closed chain those muscles are affected by the architecture of the foot and not the other way around. The plantar fascia holding the arch in place under body weight affects the functioning of the calf muscles. As a flat foot vs an arched foot will affect the forces of heel strike to toe off in gait on the calf muscles. I don't know what you know. I have 26 years of LMT, 16 yrs of PT, 40 yrs of running, and the combination of education, human dissection, and athletic experience which run counter to you opinion and I feel is reflective of the "research" in my fields. But you aren't going to believe me based on my saying so as I'm not inclined to believe you invoking "research"
for those of you who question the validity of this treatment modality i would suggest you read Tom Myers and understand the Myofascial Meridian lines. Great post Jill.
Worked for me. Before doing it, could not really touch the toes and after I could. Was not using a tennis ball but was using those solid recovery massage balls. Shall see how this translates with my running later. Thanks Jill!
In my opinion While applying pressure on the ball , Tibia bone moves forward slightly, which in turns to relieve tightness in posterior capsule of knees . In addition , calf (gastrocnemius) is a secondary knee flexor , and by pressing a ball It contracts isometrical , which further helps in to relieve tightness of the calf. And finally , this position which again produce isometric contraction of quadriceps and helps to relieve tightness in hamstring . Thus the Range in knee bending (flexing) improves ...
Thank you for posting this. I have an old foot injury that has caused my hamstring to tighten and cramp more often than I'd like. This exercise brought relief to both my foot and hamstring for the first time in a year.
If someone can't explain the why then they shouldn't be listened to. This isn't a hamstring stretch but may help gently stretch the Achilles, soleus and plantar fascia which are factors to posterior leg tension.
I completed 2 park runs on 1st January and pulled my hamstring. In pain since, discovered this amazing video, it works. Thank you, thank you, thank you Jill.
Thanks! This helped reduce the tremendous pain Iʻve had in my middle toes that has had me limping for a week. I read that it was related to tight hamstrings causing tendon inflammation--whatever---the tennis ball stretch helped a lot.
A lot of negative comments by 'experts.' Yet no one has yet connected the plantar and the hamstring before until I saw this lady. I have plantar fasciitis brought on by of all things- stretching the hamstring. At least this lady is connecting the two. Please find me any other person that shows that one can affect the other the way it happened to me. I give her credit for that.
Most people have weak hamstrings from sitting down all day. Stretching them further will usually injure yourself. Calves tend to be tighter and stretching there will relieve the foot
Have worked out both feet twice a day (very painful) since last week and have found that this release does work. Normally turning over in bed my right knee would scream with pain. No pain noted now. Just have to stay with it.
Maybe by massaging the finger flexors (their origin is behind the calves and their insertions in the fingers, so they go all the way from the tibia to the toes) you are taking off pression from the calves and from the knee. It makes sense that you can do a better "touch your toes" exercise after
Myofascial release comes with a drawback. It deactivates muscles as well as breaking down adhesions/knots. If someone for example does it on their glutes that can be a great thing but you have to strengthen/reactivate them afterwards otherwise you could be in for a world of back issues. IN this case being flat footed and developing plantar fasciitis which is excruciating. Dancers do this a lot on their arches but focus on a very evil but wooden "rolling pin" with ridges but do exercises to strengthen the arch. So please with each release or stretch video keep in mind something for keeping balance. Pilates was invented by dancers as well to bring balance back to the kinetic chain.
awesome advice! I use tennis balls for all over body self acupressure massage as well together with foam rollers. the feet have all the body's reflex areas. Thanks for this video!
The gastrocnemius aids in knee flexion. She is creating dorsiflexion by having the tennis ball under hear foot ergo stretching the "calf" thus allowing for great ROM that's why that helps not the fascial release
It would be helpful to give the rationale behind this foot mobilization? The fact that your mobilizing the terminal end of the posterior chain doesn’t guarantee or promise any further extensibility upstream? An integrated approach, by mobilizing the plantar fascia along with the posterior crural fascia lines and all superficial back lines, might allow further ROM in an ASLR test, or a neutral spine-Good Morning? Not all facial restrictions in the posterior chain originate in the plantar fascia! This appears to be a meridian chain or acu-pressure points application, not a soft-tissue mob?
I do this with a Lacrosse ball...hurts even more than a tennis ball,but,better results..for me that is,I've had Plantar Faciatis on both feet from running, twisting my ankles and not treating them right away. Running is extremely hard on your feet.... massage,rolling on a ball works!
Thanks for the awesome video and information. I found I could use a small grip ball. It has a lot of squishy give to it. You can do it when you’re seated if balance is a problem.
My tennis ball collapsed. Got a second one and it just collapsed too. So I got 2 pairs of thick socks and used them instead. It seems to have done something positive so thanks for the tip.
Thank you for sharing. I find my left ankle is tighter than my right after years of driving OTR. This makes tightness up the leg. I'll be buying a ball soon: maybe a rubber ball for dogs.
Let the woman live you guys! She got right into it without the Anatomical mambo jambo cuz frankly my mother wouldn't care about all that. People in pain want that shit fixed asap and she did a good enough job to demonstrate WHAT SHE FEELS could ALSO be a cause for tight hamstrings. ain't nothing wrong with that. Yes she threw me off also with what she said in the beginning there but she is probably reaching out to people that can't identify muscles by their actual names. Good going Lady ! :-*
Hmm.. I'm trying to understand how this technique is supposed to work. So the plantar fascia alone originates from the tip of your heel to the base of the proximal phalanx on each toe. Another structure that attaches to the heel (but posteriorly) is the achilles tendon, where your calf muscles blend into. While the gastrocnemius (main calf muscle superficial to the soleus) plantarflexes (points down) the foot, it also crosses the knee joint making it a weak flexor of the knee compared to the hamstrings. To stretch an agonist or synergist of a movement (in this case, flexing the knee), you would want to do the opposite (straighten the knee) and put it at passive insufficiency (ex/ doing the splits or touching your toes while maintaining an anterior pelvic tilt). I also recognize that myofascial release also increases flexibility by relieving tension. Does your method propose that myofascial release on the plantar fascia indirectly increases hamstring flexibility by relieving tension from the bottom up on your lower kinetic chain?
I have no idea about the exact mechanism, but it's true that in yoga stretching the toes / balls of the feet (as in poses which require you to stand or sit on tip toes) helps significantly during deep forward bends which for a beginner feel very uncomfortable in the hamstring area. Being able to dorsiflex your feet way back and curl toes helps a lot with that.
Grimmsley Costello It relates to the hamstring in terms of making it look more flexible than it is when trying to reach your toes you get further by stretching the calves same as you can make up with your lower back if you stretch it to go further to the front you'll get closer to your feet without actually getting more flexiblt hamstrings but people would assume the hamstrings are just so flexible. It's basically "cheating" - don't say it's bad. Just that it's important to be aware of it to not go too far with that kind of stretch but not addressing the hamstring directly at all in the same time. So to original comment - yes it will as any other stretch increase range of motion as long as you practice it.
Omg miracle XO Thumbs up x 1000. Went from almost fingertips in the ground to whole palm on the ground! And 85% of my back pains vanished. Serious relief, thanks ^.^
May help with foot problems ie. Plantar. May be part of acupressure organs stimulation. May help foot prio receptors. Does nothing for my toe touches & hammies .
oh dear lord.. firstly it works via raising your foot like that is a calf/ hamstring stretch. secondly releasing the fascia and muscles under the foot which is connected to your achillies-calfs-hams your releasing the hams.
+Himanshu Patel it has to do with the neurological connection of the kinetic muscle chain! when i stretch my toes i can feel my tight hamstrings do a release-spasm type thing. it is truly amazing! Works with my lower back and butt also. js
+mother66 LMAO! i never even went. but i do have problem areas and i experience these things when i do release on myself. it usually effects an opposing muscle. i have a tight pectoralis minor that i've been working on and when i release it i can feel my rear delts relax since they have been in a CONSTANT battle with my pec minor to try and stabilize my shoulder.
+Himanshu Patel the fascia in your foot region is part of a whole fascial sheath that extends from the foot all the way up the back of your leg, butt, back, neck. The fascia surrounds muscles (hamstrings included). Tennis ball rolling helps hamstring stretches.
I've had chronic lower back pain for years due to DDD that comes and goes. I recently started walking a lot more (and briskly) and my hamstrings, which are ordinarily tight, really started to hurt, along with my lower back. I was skeptical of this, but I tried it as shown last night. I felt no better after doing the drill with the tennis ball, but when I got up this morning, both my hamstrings and lower back were pain free (but my arches hurt like hell). LOL. Really, try this! It just might work for you. Thanks!
