Tight hamstring, discomfort sitting/driving - advice needed

RFDD

I have some discomfort when sitting and driving at the bottom of my hamstring, just above the back of my knee.

I had the same problem last year and went to see a Physio who diagnosed it as just being an ridiculously over tight hamstring, as a result of over exerting myself which had led to a strain. I had a long layoff from cycling over winter and combined with regular stretching and yoga it went away. This year I've been regularly gradually building it up, doing several 30-40 mile rides per week - no problem, until now.

After charging up too many hills last week, the hamstring problem has returned. I don't suffer any discomfort cycling, just when sitting at desk (which I do for at least 8hrs a day and I'm sure doesn't help but is quite unavoidable!). At present I'm keeping the muscle warm and been regularly stretching over the last week.

Has anyone else experienced a similar hamstring problem; does it require a complete layoff from cycling or can I continue gently cycling with lots of heat/stretching and the problem will go away?

Cheers
R

sungod

stand barefoot, ideally in front of mirror or with someone to watch

take a step, as your foot lands, does it and the ankle roll inwards?

this is pronation, too much can result in what you describe

i had the same issue, the solution was footbeds with enough support - i had them in my running shoes for years, but for some reason didn't occur to me for a while that the same would be required for cycling, now i even have arch supports that slip into normal shoes, makes a big difference

RFDD

sungod wrote:

stand barefoot, ideally in front of mirror or with someone to watch

take a step, as your foot lands, does it and the ankle roll inwards?

this is pronation, too much can result in what you describe ...

Hi, thanks for your reply. I've had a go at the test you suggested and there is no noticeable inwards roll of the ankle.

Thanks anyway

sungod

ok, another thing to check is if the saddle is a bit too high

as long as you don't over-extend, i'd think some gentle rides will be ok, keep cadence high and gearing low, but if you get any extra discomfort then just rest

as for the desk, i try to make sure i get up every now and then and get my legs/back going again, if you're stuck on calls a lot, a long cable or wireless headset give you a chance for more movement

btw after a while doing only static stretches, i added some dynamic stretching (leg swings) as the last step once warmed up, i did notice a increase in flexibility from these

http://www.sportsinjuryclinic.net/sport ... hamstrings

my physio also recommended clams using a resistance band which they said would improve stability over time...

http://sportsmedicine.about.com/od/stre ... ion-_6.htm

Tb2121

Don't do clams, it is not functional and puts the hip in a horrible position. It's a common issue with cyclist due to the amount of time sitting in one position, lumbar flexion, the activation of the hams in a lengthened position and the neural tension that is put through the leg. This leads to a couple of issues- muscle imbalance- stronger hams than gluteals, muscle tightness- as above, overload of lumbar discs, irritation of sciatic nerve etc. Sitting at a desk only exacerbated things so: try and sit in a good neutral position with feet flat on floor will help massively. Keeping spine in neutral will also help. Regular sciatic glides- as you describe will be useful, but also gluteal stretches, and strengthening will help, and also inner range hamstring strengthening work can be beneficial. The biggest thing though I find is improving lumbar motion and improving core stability on the bike. This can decrease load through the lumbar discs and prevent nerve root irritation that can give delayed symptoms as you describe. I'd recommend seeing a physio who can help, as these are tricky to assess over a forum due to the myriad of structures that can play a role.

RFDD

Thank you both for your advice, it's much appreciated.

I went for gentle 10 mile ride last night, which was totally fine, no pain at all. Slight discomfort when spinning up the only small hill en route but otherwise it was okay. The only time I felt any real discomfort was at the end of the ride after stretching my hamstring (discomfort felt only a little while after stretching, not during the stretch). No pain on waking this morning. Is it okay to feel discomfort after stretching or is that a bad sign?

Tb2121: With regards to muscle imbalance, is the fact I'm only experiencing this problem in one leg relevant? I.e If it were muscle imbalance from my core, I would likely experience it in both legs? With regards to your Physio suggestion, I saw two Physios when the problem first occurred last year, both had the same diagnosis of an over tight hamstring. I'm reluctant to spend more getting a third opinion if I can really help it

Thanks again for all the advice.

Tb2121

No if you have a core issue it can cause issues with one side, stretching is ok but it sounds like you may of strained your ham and therefore strengthening it through range would be useful. The reason why I say see a physio is because if you were my patient, from experience, there would be a lot I'd want to assess to help you recover fully. But sounds like you are on the mend. I would recommend though gentle stretches and significant hamstring strengthening- eccentric especially.

zardoz

Don't discount referred pain from a back problem. Sciatic pain can be felt anywhere from the buttock to the ankle.

Baby Trek

I get this and my physio says that it is really common for cyclists to have almost shortened muscles at the back of the legs - hamstring down. Mine stems from back problems also and got so bad that it started to pull my achiles too. My physio has told me to carry on cycling but do lots of stretching exercises to stretch and loosen the muscles at the back of my legs. This seems to be working and the cycling is not affected in any way.

mikenetic

If it's behind your knee then you may benefit from a standing lower hamstring stretch, such as this:

http://www.theragear.com/exercise/st_ha ... e_ball.php

You hinge forward, in effect trying to pull the ball towards you. It gives a very targeted stretch on that area, which is commonly tight for cyclists. I've suffered from similar tightness in the past, but doing this as part of an overall stretch/core routine has sorted a range of issues.