When it comes to squatting, many people focus on their form, strength, and technique to prevent lower back pain. However, there’s an often-overlooked factor that can significantly impact your lower back health: short hamstrings. In this blog post, we’ll explore how short hamstrings can put excessive load on your lumbar discs during squats and increase the risk of lower back pain.
Short hamstrings can limit your ability to flex at the hip joint fully. This restriction can result in poor squat mechanics, causing you to round your lower back, which places excessive stress on the lumbar discs.
To prevent this over loading of your back prior to squatting, do a thorough warm-up routine that includes movements targeting the hamstrings and hip flexors. This can help improve mobility and prepare your body for squatting.
During your squat focus on maintaining proper squat form, which includes a neutral spine. Ensure that you hinge at the hips and engage your core muscles to protect your lower back.
By focusing on improving hamstring flexibility, proper warm-ups, and maintaining correct squat form, you can reduce the risk of lumbar disc strain.
A simple way to combat tight hamstrings is the following stretch:
- Simply lie on the floor near a wall/or door opening.
- Place your heel on the wall and keep your knee extended as shown.
- Ideally you want to work up your flexibility to be able to have at least a 90-degree angle at the hip.