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Are Tight Hip Flexors and Hamstrings causing your Back pain?

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Your hip flexors and hamstrings are among the most important groups of muscles in the body.  They are necessary for the long term mobility and stability of your lower body.  Healthy and well-conditioned hip flexors and hamstrings are key for the prevention of hip, knee and lower back issues. The health of your lumbar spine is directly affected by the action of the hip flexors and hamstrings.   When there is an imbalance present in either of these muscle groups, the lower back can easily be subject to strain and injury.  Corrective action is necessary to reverse this imbalance and therefore reduce the risk of injury to the spine.   In most cases, people who experience lower back pain usually have accompanying tightness and imbalances in the various muscles.  For example, it has been well established in both in the literature and among health professionals that tight hamstrings are one of the primary contributors to chronic lumbar pain.   It is very rare to have chronically tight (or short) hamstring muscles and NOT suffer lumbar pain. The hamstring muscles are a group of very strong and large muscles which are often poorly maintained. It can be very challenging to keep them well conditioned, even under ideal situations.   Tight hamstrings and hip flexors will often occur together. The strong pull of tight hip flexors can lead to an anterior pelvic tilt.  This forward tilt of the pelvis causes an increased pull on the hamstrings which contributes to tightness of the muscle group.   To maintain the normal and proper curvature of the spine, the muscles which are located in front and behind the pelvis must act and function in a balanced fashion throughout your daily activity. In doing this, they keep the pelvis in a neutral and safe position.   In order to reduce the discomfort of lower back pain, your hip flexors and hamstrings should be exercised in many different ways.  This requires several different positions, stretches and movements.