Stretches and recovery exercise

# Lying hamstring stretch

A hamstring stretch done lying on your back, holding behind your thigh and straightening the knee.

Also called: supine hamstring stretch, hamstring stretch for lower back

- **Type:** Stretches and recovery

- **Equipment:** No equipment

- **Area:** Lower back

- **Level:** Gentle

- **Starting dose in Remedy:** 2 holds of 30 seconds per side

## How to do it

- Lie on your back with both knees bent.
- Lift one leg and hold behind the thigh with both hands, or loop a towel around the foot.
- Slowly straighten the knee until you feel a pull in the back of the thigh.
- Hold, breathing normally, then switch legs.

## Form cues

- Hold behind the thigh and straighten the knee until you feel a pull, not a burn.

## Common mistakes

- Pulling the leg so far the hips lift off the floor.
- Bouncing into the stretch.

Stop if
If the stretch causes tingling or shooting pain down the leg, ease off. That is a nerve-related feeling, not a hamstring stretch.

## Easier and harder versions

- Remedy keeps this one steady and changes the work around it instead.

## Why it helps a sore back

Lying down keeps your back supported while you stretch, which is kinder to a sore back than bending forward to touch your toes.

## How Remedy uses it

In the app it is called **Supine Hamstring Stretch**. Remedy is more likely to pick it if you say your back is bothered by sitting too long or mornings or after rest. A typical starting dose is 2 holds of 30 seconds per side, and the program adjusts reps as the weeks go on. Every exercise in the app has a demonstration video.

General fitness information, not medical advice. Stop any exercise that causes sharp pain, or pain, numbness, or tingling spreading down a leg.

## More stretches and recovery exercises

[Stretches and recovery

### Child’s pose for back pain

A resting stretch where you sit back toward your heels with your arms stretched out in front.
No equipment · Gentle](https://remedyrecoveries.com/exercises/childs-pose)
[Stretches and recovery

### Figure-4 stretch

A stretch for the glutes and the piriformis, done lying on your back with one ankle crossed over the opposite knee.
No equipment · Gentle](https://remedyrecoveries.com/exercises/figure-4-stretch)

## Guides that use it
[Guide
### Stretches for lower back pain
Gentle stretches that ease a stiff lower back, and why stretching alone is not enough.Read the guide](https://remedyrecoveries.com/guides/stretches-for-lower-back-pain)[Guide
### Lower back stiff in the morning
Why mornings feel worst, what usually helps, and when stiffness needs a doctor.Read the guide](https://remedyrecoveries.com/guides/morning-back-stiffness)

[More exercise guides](https://remedyrecoveries.com/exercises/)

## Get a back program you can actually keep

Free to download on the App Store. Answer a few questions and your first session is ready in minutes.

[](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/remedy-back-pain-relief/id6813745106)[Read the guides](https://remedyrecoveries.com/guides/)

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Source: https://remedyrecoveries.com/exercises/hamstring-stretch
Remedy is a fitness and wellness app, not medical care.