The Hamstring Strength Test provides you with a rough estimate of how functionally effective your hamstring muscles are right now. It take about two (2) minutes to complete.
1. The Hamstring Strength Test
2. Test Results/Implications
3. Hamstring Exercises (Easy to Advanced)
4. Hamstring Exercises (Advanced)
Hamstring Strength Test (HST)
Description: A measure of your ability to pull your leg back using your hamstring muscles.
Equipment: Chair, and someone to work with you to offer resistance and feel how much you are able to move your leg.
Patient Instructions: “Sit on a tall table (such as a massage table) so your leg can move freely. A second person will sit in front of you and hold your ankle firmly. Once you both decide you are ready, your job is to pull back toward the table. The person holding your ankle will try to slow and stop your motion. This person will evaluate your ability to move.” See the key below.
Second Person/Therapist/Friend Instructions: Hold the patient’s leg at the ankle firmly while the patient pulls back towards the table.
Results Key
The idea is to evaluate how much strength you are able to exert:
1. Full Resistance (normal hamstring strength)
2. Moderate Resistance (mild hamstring weakness)
3. Mild Resistance (severe hamstring weakness)
The Implications of Your Hamstring Strength Test Score
The Implications of Your Hamstring Strength Test ScoreIf you scored a 2 or 3 on the test, you should pay attention to your hamstring strength and possibly ability to extend your leg (extension). Read on as we have some insight for you below. Go to sections 3 and 4 for moderate and advanced exercises to strengthen and stretch your hamstrings.
The hamstrings start at the bottom of our hip bone and run the length of the femur before crossing the knee joint to attach on the tibia and fibula. Since they have an attachment at both the hip and knee, they are considered a two joint muscle. Their function is to extend the hip and flex (bend) the knee. When exercising the hamstrings, keep in mind that they cross two joints and focus on exercises that train each of their functions. (Fleet Feet)
Most runners have either very tight or weak hamstrings, or even worse, tight and weak! When the hamstrings are tight, they pull on the hip bone causing a slight rotation, which can affect the natural curvature of the back and cause pain and tightness in the lower back. Weakness in the hamstrings can contribute to knee pain and increase the incidence of a hamstring strain. A lot of people stretch their hamstrings often, but say they can never seem to get more flexible. (Fleet Feet)
Unsung Heroes
The hamstrings are the unsung heroes of the upper legs. The three muscles in the back of each thigh enable you to bend your knees and pull your legs back as you walk. They also assist the gluteal muscles (or “glutes”) in the buttocks — the powerhouses that propel your body forward when you get up from a chair, bound across a room, or climb stairs. The glutes also help you come to a stop from a run or walk and lower your body to sit down or squat.
But weak gluteal muscles wind up overburdening the hamstrings. “When the glutes are weak, which is common in the age of sitting too much, the hamstrings are continually overworked and overloaded,” says Matt Natanson, a physical therapist with Harvard-affiliated Brigham and Women’s Hospital. (Harvard Health)
Tight hamstrings can be the primary cause for poor knee extension. To learn more about the threat of knee extension to a proper knee replacement recovery click here.
How to Build Hamstring Strength (Start Here, Easy to Difficult)
How to Build Hamstring Strength (Start Here, Easy to Difficult)Here we have some easy to do exercises as presented by to amazing physical therapists, Bob and Brad. The walk us through hamstring exercises from easy to challenging.
1. Wheeled Chair Walk
2. Hip Raise
3. Theraband Ankle Pull
4. Ball Exercises
How to Build Hamstring Strength (Advanced Exercises)
How to Build Hamstring Strength (Advanced Exercises)There are four key exercises that you can do every day to build hamstring strength. These are not for the faint of heart, but if you are really motivated they will do wonders.
1. Nordic Hamstring Curl (Advanced)
2. Prone Leg Curl (Medium Difficulty, with or without resistance)
3. Russian Belt Exercise (Advanced)
4. Hip Extension Pulley (Medium Difficulty)
To learn more schedule a call with one of our knee experts about knee surgery and recovery – it’s free. Just click here. There are more online knee assessment tools, beyond the Hamstring Strength Test, that we can discuss on our call with you.
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