Hamstring work bothering my lower back

I've been really focusing on getting my hamstrings in good shape for a while now. I've made some good progress (I can now place my full palms on the bottoms of my feet in a seated pike), but I think I may have been doing something wrong.

The day after I have a long stretching session that involves my hamstrings, my lower back always tends to bug me. Now, the pain is interesting - it's closer to "soreness" than anything else. If I bend forward, it makes me wince, but if I bend forward and back a few times, it seems to alleviate the pain for a bit. Almost like it just needed loosening up...

So, a few questions: Is this a "good" pain? Is my back simply stretching out and getting stronger/more limber? What can I do to stretch my hamstrings that doesn't hit the lower back like this?

Cheers

Its hard to say without seeing you. For sure pike type stretching can go into the low back, even with excellent form, so it doesn't mean you are doing anything wrong.

In general, stretching can make you sore, you are basically doing strong eccentric work.

Oddly enough you found the simple solution on your own, some light movement of your low back. This is an age old formula and works wonders.

Back when i was doing Ashtanga VERY seriously, i'd be lying to say i wasn't sore everyday, its just part of it. Stretching has been mis-sold, but thankfully is also its own cure. The best way i ever found to get rid of stretching DOMS is to do more stretching. The best is to start light, like you are discovering, a sort of stretching warm up.

Well, I guess what I'm trying to find out is: is this a good/expected pain, or is it bad? How would I know?

It definitely feels different than, say, triceps DOMS, but it responds the same to light movement. I'm worried I might be doing actual damage and it's just not painful enough for me to realize it yet...

I had issues in the lower back while stretching too. I wouldn't think that any kind of weirdness or pain in the lower back is good except that DOMS you feel when you do arch raises.

In my case, stretching the oposite (bridge) right after stretching in pike or straddle helps. I did some sessions of eletro acupuncture and it did wonders for my lower back pain.

Leandro said:

I had issues in the lower back while stretching too. I wouldn't think that any kind of weirdness or pain in the lower back is good except that DOMS you feel when you do arch raises.

Hmm, if I arch my back right now, that feels a bit more like the DOMS I'm used to. When you have lower back DOMS, does it feel off when bending *forward*?

If it lasts for more than a couple of days, and doesn't improve at least some each day, then i'd assume you are doing either something wrong, or just too much.

Beyond that, its really impossible to say from this amount of info.

phrak said:

Hmm, if I arch my back right now, that feels a bit more like the DOMS I'm used to. When you have lower back DOMS, does it feel off when bending *forward*?

When I have the DOMS, it does not feel off in any position. And it's equally spaced through all lower back. It's almost the same feeling like any other muscle with DOMS. In my case, when I injury the lower back, or force it too much, the pain gets worse if I bend the lower back and it stays the same if I arch. You may have something different though...

Maybe you are just holding your back at an angle that isn't ideal during the stretch or you're overstraining your lower back in order to go further forward? Or are you keeping your lower back muscles too tense during the stretch - not lengthening them enough perhaps? Or doing the opposite and arching a bit? I think all of these could cause pain in your back if you're doing the stretch regularly so it might just be your form. Just saying that because I've had similar with other muscles and it's been to do with alignment and not relaxing/breathing properly into the stretch.

I remember from somewhere, not sure if I read it or watched it, that it wasn't really recommended to do relaxed stretches for your hamstrings with a bent lower back as you end up stretching the ligament/connective tissue around your spine, and that stuff isn't supposed to loosen/weaken as it affects stability, sorta like when you slouch for extended periods and your back gets sore. I'm not sure if I've got it totally right, but It went something like that. Wish I could remember where I got it from. Something you could look into perhaps?

Jaylene said:

I remember from somewhere, not sure if I read it or watched it, that it wasn't really recommended to do relaxed stretches for your hamstrings with a bent lower back as you end up stretching the ligament/connective tissue around your spine, and that stuff isn't supposed to loosen/weaken as it affects stability, sorta like when you slouch for extended periods and your back gets sore. I'm not sure if I've got it totally right, but It went something like that. Wish I could remember where I got it from. Something you could look into perhaps?

It could very well be from "Relax into stretch" by Pavel T.

Ran across this today, ironically, i did a lot of work similar to that way back when i first started working on my flexibility.

Give it a try.

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WOW, that worked great After 2 runs through the routine, i gained a few cm.

Correct me if i am wrong: Am i supposed to perform some 'conventional' hamstring stretches afterward?

It could very well be from "Relax into stretch" by Pavel T.

Svend I do believe you're right. Much better memory than me!

Jaylene said:

I remember from somewhere, not sure if I read it or watched it, that it wasn't really recommended to do relaxed stretches for your hamstrings with a bent lower back as you end up stretching the ligament/connective tissue around your spine, and that stuff isn't supposed to loosen/weaken as it affects stability, sorta like when you slouch for extended periods and your back gets sore. I'm not sure if I've got it totally right, but It went something like that. Wish I could remember where I got it from. Something you could look into perhaps?

Hmm, then what WAS recommended?