If you’ve ever had an injury at your hamstring injury, you will know about it! You’ll go from comfortable forward bending one day to dramatically restricted, often painful forward bends the next day. This injury occurs where the tendon of the hamstring muscle knits into the membranous lining of the bone, the periosteum. In this case it is where the periosteum covers the ischial tuberosity or sit-bone. Often this is not a tear of the tendon itself but an avulsion, where the periosteum has been pulled or torn away from the bone. This injury can, of course, happen to varying degrees and brings pain and stiffness in forward bends.
If you especially feel discomfort in wide-legged forward bends it is most likely the hamstring portion of the adductor magnus muscle where it inserts onto the sit-bone that is injured rather than one of the hamstrings themselves. Unfortunately, this is a common injury in yogis and one of the reasons we recommend that students not be adjusted in wide-legged forward bends, eg Upavishta Konasana. As you can imagine, in these postures the adductor magnus is being asked to stretch as an adductor on the inner thigh as we widen our legs as well as a hamstring muscle on the back of the leg as we flex forward.
There are a couple of possible reasons why the muscle insertions at the sit-bones are so susceptible to injury. The main one seems to be when ones practice is dominated by straight-legged forward bends. Especially when standing the insertions at the sit-bones are under the large load of the entire upper body as we fold forward. A flexion-dominant practice also tends to weaken the hamstring muscles. This is due to the reciprocal inhibition [1], where the activation of the hip flexor muscles means that the extensor muscles (of which the hamstrings are one) are inhibited or switched off. In standing forward bends the extensor muscles are working eccentrically, i.e., against gravity. This helps a muscle to strengthen more effectively, however, at the same time it also places greater stress on the muscle, which makes it more prone to injury.
Whether the injury is in the periosteum, the tendon, the hamstring or the hamstring portion of the adductor magnus muscle the same therapy protocol will apply. The therapy needed to enable this injury to quickly heal is to take stress off the insertion and strengthen the extensor muscles, especially the hamstrings. In standing forward bend postures this is easily done by bending or at least softening the knees on entering and exiting forward bends. The deeper you bend your knees the faster your extensor muscles will strengthen. The other benefit of this method is that all your leg and lower trunk muscles must work together synergistically and a natural balance and harmony of strength of all the leg and lower trunk muscles is achieved. This is why squatting is an ideal strengthening movement and a very functional one that we can incorporate into our daily lives, not just our practice. I recommend doing this with different stance lengths: feet together, hip-width apart, wide apart and everything in between! Specifically in postures like Trikonasana and Parshvottanasana you can activate and strengthen your hamstrings by drawing your leading foot back towards the other foot, without moving the feet. If you find that you are unable to avoid pain at the ischial tuberosity (sit-bone) in any of the standing forward bends then omit practicing them until the injury has healed sufficiently.
In seated forward bends you can activate the hamstrings by pressing the heels of your feet down into your mat. This turns your stretch into a more regulated stretching method called Post Isometric Relaxation or PIR. PIR is when the receptors in your tendons (golgi tendon organs) sense how much pull is being exerted onto the tendon by the contraction of the muscle. After being activated by muscle contraction these receptors then signal the muscle to relax. These very receptors are in charge of monitoring the amount of muscle contraction that happens and protecting the tendons wherein they reside. Stretching in this way helps to balance strength with flexibility and thereby is not only a very effective method of stretching but is also very safe, especially when self applied. Additionally, pointing the feet in forward bends seems to relieve some stress off the sit-bones.
Of utmost importance is when you arrive in the forward bend that you do then straighten out your legs. This stretches the entire length and belly of the muscle (the reason you are doing a forward bend) and most importantly, takes the stress of the insertion at the sit-bones. To keep the knees bent once in the forward bend will transfer the tension of the stretch back up to the hamstring insertion at the sit-bone instead of distributing it over the whole muscle. With this injury it is better to not go as deeply forward with your trunk but instead to keep the legs straight. The enemy here is not stretching the hamstrings per se. Instead we want to reduce the stress upon the insertion at the sit-bone.
Worth noting is that there is a difference between an inhibited muscle and a weak muscle although both with appear to be weak. Inhibition is a neurological state, which can be due to the antagonist muscle being contracted (here the hip flexors) equating to reciprocal inhibition or otherwise from an imbalance of the position of the pelvis. This pelvic torsion usually results in one-sided weakness and would preferably require therapy to correct quickly. In this case the muscle is not inherently weak but appears so due to its handicapped position. On the other hand, weak hamstrings take longer to restore to strength although both will benefit greatly from strengthening movements and postures.
For a speedier recovery focus on some specific postures that target strengthening the hamstrings, eg: Shalabasana and Purvottanasana. Also very effective is a one-legged Purvottanasana. This will further challenge your hamstrings and also highlight for you the comparative strength of your hamstrings from right to left.
Overall, what is important is that in you remove the stress from your hamstring insertion and at the same time strengthen these muscles. Bending your knees, like transiting through a squat, on entering and exiting your forward bends will aid both of these goals. In your forward bends ensure that you are using all your leg muscles and not just your hip flexors, which will inhibit and thereby weaken your hip extensors. Additionally, adding in some postures that target hamstring strength will speed up your recovery. With this simple protocol I have had students heal their long-standing sit-bone pain within a few weeks. Left untreated this injury can take between one and two years to heal! Wishing you a speedy recovery back to pain-free forward bends.
Monica
[1] Reciprocal inhibition is when activation of one muscle (the agonist) inhibits the action of the antagonist muscle, relaxing it and allowing us to effectively stretch it.
Hi Monica, very informative article, thank you for taking the time to share your knowledge and experience. I was wandering whether the same suggestion “of utmost importance is when you arrive in the forward bend that you do then straighten out your legs […] this takes the stress of the insertion at the sit-bones” applies when the injured portion of the hamstring is not the one at the the sit-bones insertion but the lower one, behind the knee. Or, in that case, would it be better to keep the knee bent during forward bends? Thanks! Dunia
Thank you Dunia for your expression of appreciation.
Yes, if you have a hamstring injury behind your knee then you would be best to keep the knees bent and only stretch gently to avoid a shortened scar. However, it is very uncommon to injury the hamstrings here and I wonder if that is an accurate diagnosis. What are your symptoms and where exactly do you feel the pain?
Namaste
Monica
Thank you Monica for your reply. Well mine is really a self diagnosis as my doctor wasn’t able to help much except for telling me to ice it, rest and take NSAID. The pain started off in January as tightness behind my left knee after the practice. I told myself it would go away if I stayed mindful and did not overstretch the leg. However, the pain got worse, at its peak it would bother me to walk long or to bear weight on it. I would have bouts of pain as if the whole area (starting behind the inner knee and going up the inner leg about 15-20 cm) was suddenly heating up. By practising with my leg bent and focusing more on strength than flexibility the pain has decreased but whenever I try to gradually straighten the leg it comes back within a few days…
Hi Dunia
Without being able to examine and test you it is difficult to work out… it could also be your popliteus muscle. If you let me know where you are in the world I can see if I can find a musculoskeletal professional who could help you. I have access to a great group of practitioners… I am confident this can easily be resolved!
Namaste, Monica
Hi Monica, thank you for the clue. I had never heard of the popliteus muscle (and I’m a little ashamed about it!); I’m surprised none of the articles I read while researching around my symptoms did even mention it. It does indeed seem like it could be a popliteus tendinitis. Two of its common causes appear to be the tendency to hyperextend the knee and previous knee injury, both of which apply to me (I have a medial meniscus tear and a slight thickening of the medial collateral ligament on both legs due to years of bearing weight on knees that are naturally inwardly-rotated).
I’m Italian but recently moved to Paris, France, so unfortunately I don’t know any good musculoskeletal professional here, neither do I have a trusted yoga teacher that could help me adjust my practice, thus I am trying to figure it out myself by observing how my body responds to different variations. Thanks again for your time and knowledge, you have given me a new “track” to follow 🙂
Hi Dunaia
Popliteus is a major trouble maker in knee problems and you are right usually ignored! It is often facilitated and can inhibit or ‘switch off’ other important muscles like glute max and rectus femoris…
I am on the search for someone for you, however, Europe is more difficult. In the meantime try to release it off yourself. Warning! It is quite painful. All the best with it. ; )
Dear Monica,
Thank you for the tips in this article, I will most certainly incorporate some of the asanas into my own (now recovery) practice. My question was actually similar to Dunias – my injury is more towards the belly of the hamstring (most articles on this topic for yogis focus on injurys close to the sittbone) but mine is more where semitendinos attaches to the femur on the back of the leg. I sustained it from some very forceful forward bend adjustments a very long time ago now (almost 10 years!)
My guess is it never healed properly and as soon as I go into practice it returns giving me trouble. I nearly gave up doing yoga because of this (I would always end up in a lot of pain after practice) but Im now back on the mat and have managed to heal my left hamstring (where I had the same issue) – but my right is still giving me trouble despite me taking care not to force or go too far. I suppose it must be scar tissue that is the problem.
Would you recommend keeping a bend in the knee at a sitting forward bend for me?
Do you recommend any particular treatment such as dry needling for this form of stubborn injury?
I have tried something called ‘radial extracorporeal shock wave therapy’ – stötvågsbehandling – where I live, Sweden, and it provided some relief. But not fully, Im still struggling 🙁 …
Many thanks 🙂
Namaste Ulla
Dear Ulla
I’m sorry to hear of your injury and forceful adjustments and very happy that you are persevering. Well done, it is not easy. Semitendinosis attaches to the proximal part of the medial tibia so check your anatomy and see what else is there where you feel the pain – let me know.
What is unusual is that you have had this on both sides. Many people injure their hamstring from a preexisting pelvic torque, however, this usually does not change sides. This is my second reason for thinking there is something else going on here…
Namaste, Monica
Hi Monica,
Thank you so much for listening!
These strong adjustments took place on both legs hence the injury occurred to both R & L hamstrings. So for a long time I had symptoms on both legs simultaneously, and there were times in the past where my left side (always the belly of the muscle) was causing me more pain than the right.
Now thankfully, it seems the Left side has stabilized (virtually symptom free there – just the normal soreness you would get after a workout, nothing that linger for days or I can feel when resting). Fingers crossed the Right side will stabilize some time too – with some TLC and patience.
Having had a quick look at some anatomy drawings, I can say that the pain I’m now having (L) is not located at the origin, nor the insertion point for Semitendinosis or Semimembranosus. When Ive had a massage, these two muscles tend to be very sore – and stiff – and I can tell this is where the pain & stiffness originates. I dont think it could be Bicep femoris, definitely not the Gracilis muscle. It ‘feels’ very deep – as if the pain is hidden underneath. I have to sort of dig with my fingers to reach the point where I can find it.
And it is located – halfway up the thigh – closer to the pelvis than the knee – and slightly in towards the midline of the body – if that makes any sense 🙂
I’m too attached to yoga to let it go because of this. I will keep on modifying – one day hopefully Ill be free from all pain and have my mobility back!
Thank you so much
Namaste 🙂
Ulla
Dear Ulla
Unfortunately it does sounds like your injury is just from being over adjusted.
Without being able to test or examine you I’m thinking it must be the short head of biceps femoris which attaches right there. If you can find any trigger points in this muscle release them off and see how your body responds to this.
Namaste
Monica
* correction – its the R leg now giving me trouble *
Thank you so much Monica,
I will give it a try and let you know!
Thanks again and Namaste
Ulla
Dear Monica,
I had a wakeboarding accident a couple weeks ago and ripped the muscle fibers in my hamstring and adductor muscles in my left leg. I luckily did not break any bones or sustain any damage to any tendons. It’s only been a couple weeks and I still have significant bruising but the swelling has gone down and I am able to walk again. Sitting is still painful and my range of motion is still very limited so forward bends are still quite out of the question. I think I would like to try getting back on the mat to do a bit of soft strength building and recovery- would you deem the afore mentioned poses safe? Would it be ok to begin now or should I wait til the bruising and swelling is completely gone? I just want to do whatever I can to aid the healing process.
Thank you for you time and such an informative article,
Jessie
Hi Jessie
Sorry to hear of your injury.
It is good to dampen the inflammation before you stress the muscle.
For you it would be best to start with a few repetitions of single-legged Salabasana rather than holding it for a long time. If you have your legs wide this will incorportate the hamstring portion of your adductor muscle as well.
Remember, you body will tell you what is good and if it is too early to be working the muscles. Try, then listen and keep increasing the load as your body accepts it without complaint.
Wishing you a speedy recovery…
Namaste
Monica
How do you feel about just doing Hamstring Leg Curls or Glute Ham Raises to help?
I was fine stretching 5 times a week but when I continued to do it and added in heavy Romanian Deadlifts, I got yoga butt and have been backing off ever since.
Thanks
Hi Monica,
How can I tell if it is the tendinopathy (yoga butt) or if it’s just a hamstring strain towards the top of the muscle belly?
Anything like RDLs, isometric stretching and resisted eccentric stretching (slide boards) don’t hurt during exercises, but they hurt the following few days mainly when I bend/stretch.
For whatever reason full range of motion rack pulls/deadlifts or anything concentric doesn’t cause this issue.
Any ideas?
Hi Max
It doesn’t really matter whether it is the tendon or the muscle, the aggravant is the same and so probably the therapy.
From what you describe it seems that any lengthening of the muscle, whether it be a stretch or eccentric loading is causing you pain.
Try engaging the abdominals more, so your your low ribs are tucked into your navel. You don’t have to round your spine to do this but you do need to do it strongly. This will distribute the stretch more evenly over the posterior chain of muscles rather than only onto the top portion of the hamstring.
Hope that helps…
Namaste
Monica
Keep on writing, great job!
Hi Monica. I feel the pain and tightness when I fold forward or when I lift up my leg on downdog. The pain is on my sit-bones. Do you think this is yoga butt? Should I continue to do yoga or should I stop? Is it a good idea to use a tennis ball to roll on my sitbones besides doing the stretches you mentioned in your article? I do not feel the pain when I walk but hurts when I try to stretch. Should I continue to stretch in general when the pain is still there ?
Thanks
Hi Felicia
Yes, it sounds like what is technically/ medically known as a hamstring tendinopathy. You need to not aggravate it to let it heal. This doesn’t not mean you have to stop doing yoga but you do need to modify your forward bends. As you enter your forward bends do not ‘swan-dive’, i.e. splay your rib-cage and world forward with an extended spine. Instead use your abdominals by keeping your ribs tucked in towards your navel. In seated forward bends push your hands into your feet instead of pulling yourself forward. You can also point your toes or press the back of your heels down into the mat. These methods also seem to take stress of the hamstring tendon where it inserts onto your sits bones. although counter-intuitive it is better to keep the knees straight in forward bends rather than bending the knees as this keeps stress of the sit-bone insertions.
Hope this helps…
Namaste
Monica
Thanks Monica for your great advice. So during this period am I correct to say I should do more Shalabasana and purvottanasana. Is there any other poses that I can do during this therapy period of healing and strengthening? Would appreciate your advice.
Thanks
Apologies for the delay Felicia.
You can also challenge your hamis with single-legged Purvottanasanas and otherwise any hamstring strengthening exercises are good even if they are not yoga postures.
Dear Monica,
Thanks for this article, I have absorbed your suggestions and will integrate your suggested asanas in my daily practice. I was diagnosed with left hamstring tendonitis and left ischiofemoral impingement.
In the last year I tried a steroid injection in the ischiofemoral space, plus physiotherapy and then after not seeing any major improvement, I started acupuncture with a lovely teacher that suffered from the same injury for years and was healed through it.
Sadly, I keep having pain on my forward folds, and practicing Ashtanga every now and then has not being easy. Even if I modify postures, Most of the times I end the practice with some mild pain.
Any additional thoughts or recommendations? I am based in Dubai, UAE.
Namaste,
Laura
Hello Laura
When doing forward bends you must get the load off your hamstring tendons. This means instead of lifting your chest you need to keep the abdominal muscles engaged and not let your ribcage flare open. Draw your ribs toward your pubic bone and lift your pubic bone a little towards your lower ribs. This will distribute the stretch over the entire posterior chain or muscles (erector spine & glutei) instead of only targeting the hamstrings. Use your abdominal muscles strongly, even if you back ends up a little rounded. This is safe on the discs if you have the support of your abdominal muscles. Do it in both standing and seated forward bends.
In seated forward bends, pushing the feet away with your hands instead of pulling your chest towards your feet can also help to enforce this action.
This should help and enable you to heal the tendons.
Namaste
Monica
Dear Monica
Thanks for this article. I got injured a few month ago by transitioning from utthita parsvakonasana with binding to trikonasana with binding. Suddenly I hear a very loud popping snapping sound and pain on the inner side on the upper thigh very close to the sitting bone. The pain mostly stopped by going out of the pose and the sound was louder than it actually hurt. I just thought something went out of place and if I will “practice it out” it will just go away. It of course didn’t and my osteopath said it is the “yoga butt” minor injury at the hamstring connector. I should not stretch the area at all and it will heal within a month. It did not I even start to feel it by driving car and even when walking sometimes I feel it. As even though I dont do any forward bends I do strengthening exercises for the hamstring It didn’t improve yet. Today I was the orthopedics and he diagnosed from my describing of the symptoms (without doing any further examinations) that it is snapping syndrome and refereed me to go to a physiotherapist . I left a little bit confused as in the internet I cant really find any informations about snapping syndrome at the hamstring so I left very confused… Did you meet any cases like that in your career what would you recommend me according to your experience?
Thanks a lot
Sophie
Dear Sophie
I am sorry to hear about your injury.
From my experience, when accompanied by a loud popping noise, this injury could be from an avulsion of the periosteum (connective tissue that surrounds the sit bone) that the tendon of the muscle inserts into. This injury can take unto 18 months to heal.
Less stretching and more strengthening is good. It may also help to apply pressure to the tender/aching area back onto the bone. This can help the tissue to heal and reconnect. Do it as often as you can – especially when you feel it.
I have never heard of a snapping syndrome in this area. It is more common with the ITB.
I hope you heal quickly.
Namaste
Monica
Dear Monica,
Thank you for this article, once again. This is not the first time I come to this very same article in my years practicing 🙂
I retook the asana practice two months ago after a couple of years, and have been having issues only with the right leg. Pain in the right sitbone area, and behind the right knee, during and after practice. After a reset day, the pain susides. The pain has not been terrible for me to worry about it, and I was even at a workshop last weekend with Gregor in Belgium, and everything went out great (also very happy to have met Gregor, and would love to meet you too at some point, after 10 years of following your work!).
However, since yesterday, it became imperative for me to bend the right knee during forward bends (uttanasana, prasaritas). I also noticed sensitivity in the muscles of the thighs, calfs, right hip area, and right side of what I think might be the sacrum.
Addded info: when I lie flat on my back, and point both feet up, the right foot *needs* to fall completely outwards, while the left foot only falls outward what is natural.
I will follow your guidelines on this article and probably search for professional help. But I would like to ask if you think I should continue to practice only with the right knee bent, or if I should bend both knees during forward bends? Or if you have another suggestion in this case. The left leg is not affected and can remain extended during forward bends, but the right leg is problematic.
Thank you so much.
Wishing you a wonderful day.
Mara