.jpg)
If you’re constantly stretching your hamstrings but never feel true relief—you’re not alone. Runners, lifters, and CrossFit athletes often complain of hamstrings that feel “tight” no matter how much they stretch. The real problem? Tight hamstrings are often a symptom—not the cause.
At Highland Spine and Sport, we approach tight hamstrings through a different lens. We look beyond the muscle and ask, “What’s actually causing your hamstrings to feel tight in the first place?”
Stretching has its place. But if you're stretching your hamstrings daily and they still feel like steel cables, there's likely a deeper issue at play.
Most people don’t have short hamstrings—they have overactive or protective hamstrings due to poor core stability and faulty movement patterns.
Your body is smart. If it doesn’t feel stable—especially around the pelvis and spine—it recruits the hamstrings to “protect” the area. This can cause:
This all ties back to how well your core is functioning.
When your core is working correctly, it creates deep, internal pressure that stabilizes your spine and pelvis. This allows the surrounding muscles—like the hamstrings—to relax and move freely.
When it’s not working properly, your hamstrings often jump in to help stabilize the system, leading to that “tight” feeling that stretching never seems to fix.
A CrossFit athlete may feel hamstring tightness during deadlifts—not because the muscle is short, but because the pelvis is tilted forward, the core isn’t stabilizing properly, and the hamstrings are trying to do too much.
Stretching won’t fix this—but retraining the core and improving pelvic alignment will.
When you come in for care, we don’t just stretch the hamstring—we assess why it’s tight:
Then we build a personalized plan to correct the dysfunction, not just the symptom.
Our tools may include:
If your hamstrings feel tight all the time, stretching is just scratching the surface. The root of the problem is often how your body stabilizes and moves, not the length of the muscle itself.
If you're tired of rolling out your hamstrings every day without results, it’s time to address the root cause. At Highland Spine and Sport, we combine cutting-edge rehab with hands-on care to help you move—and feel—better than ever.
Ready to get started? Booking an appointment is easy!