Half-Kneeling Hip Flexor and Hamstring Stretch

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By Regan Wong, PT, DPT, CSCS and Gene Coleman, Ed. D., RSCC*E

Flexibility and stretching have always been part of baseball. In the past, stretching was considered to be synonymous with warm-up and most warm-up routines consisted mainly of stretching exercises. Now, we know that warm-up and stretching are not the same thing. Each has different purposes or goals. The purpose of warm-up is to prepare the body for the more intense activity, including stretching, to follow. Warm-up is sport- and movement-specific and uses total body movements similar to those required in practice and games to increase blood flow, raise body temperature and increase blood and oxygen supply to the muscles. Warm-up helps prepare the muscles, ligaments and tendons for more strenuous exercise, improves range of motion, enhances movement efficiency and helps reduce the risk of injury.

The purpose of stretching is to increase flexibility, i.e., to improve the ability of a joint or series of joints to move through an unrestricted, pain-free range of motion. Stretching increases the range of motion of the joints though its effects on muscles and the nervous system. Stretching allows the muscles to elongate, i.e., loosen up or become more flexible, which in turn, enhances movement efficiency, helps alleviate post-exercise muscle soreness and helps reduce the risk of injury.

While there are different forms of stretching and different exercises for specific parts of the body, this post will focus on static stretching exercises for the hip flexors and hamstring muscles. Why the hips and hamstrings? First, we know that approximately 29% of all sports injuries in various sports are of musculotendinous origin, the majority being acute muscle strains1, 2. Second, we know that hamstring injuries are the most common reason for time out of play in both Major League Baseball and Minor League Baseball for position players2. We also know that the hip flexors are the antagonist to the glutes and that the hamstrings are synergists to the glutes. Tight hip flexors inhibit the action of the glutes to extend the hips, which puts stress on the hamstrings to compensate for the glutes inability to effectively extend the hips. In addition, tight shortened hip flexors cause an increased anterior pelvic tilt position. This, in turn, puts the hamstrings in a chronically lengthened position which creates perceived tightness in the hamstrings due to the muscle imbalance between the two muscles.

While the half-kneeling hip flexor and hamstring stretch will not totally eliminate the risk of hamstring injury, it is a relatively simple exercise that can effectively ensure that players stretch both the hip flexors and hamstrings. It is also time-efficient in that the player does not have to dramatically change positions to stretch two different primary muscle groups.

How to do it:

  • Start in a half-kneeling position with your left knee down and right knee up
  • Set your core
  • Tuck your tailbone
  • Keeping your low back flat and head and chest up, shift your weight forward while reaching straight with your left arm to make the hip flexor stretch more effective
  • Hold for 6-10 seconds, then straighten your right (up) knee with your weight resting on your heel, hinge at your hip with your chest up and shift your weight backward to stretch your hamstrings
  • This is one rep
  • Relax and repeat 3-5 times and then switch legs

Coaching points:

  •  You should feel a stretch on the front of your hip on the down side (left) knee
  • You should feel a stretch of the hamstrings on the up side (right) knee
  • Keep your head and chest up and don’t arch (extend) your back on when stretching the hip flexors
  • Shift your hips forward for max hip flexor stretch
  • Keep your back flat, don’t round over when stretching the hamstrings
  • Don’t let your hips turn out; keep your hips at a 900 angle to your hamstrings.
  • Don’t let the foot and knee of the down leg roll to the outside; keep a straight line through the hip, knee and ankle
  • Control the stretch by putting weight on your hands on the floor as required
  • Don’t bounce

References

  1. Camp, C, et.al. Summative report on time out of play for major and minor league baseball: an analysis of 49,955 injuries from 2011 through 2016. Am J Sports Med. 2018. 46(7): 1727-1732.
  2. Okoroha, KR., et. al., Hamstring injury trends in Major and Minor League Baseball: Epidemiological findings from the Major League Baseball Health and Injury Tracking System. Orthop J Sports Med. 2019 Jul 30;7(7):2325967119861064. doi: 10.1177/2325967119861064. PMID: 31431899; PMCID: PMC6685122.

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Regan Wong, PT, DPT, CSCS, is the Major League Physical Therapist for the Texas Rangers and former Director of Sports Rehabilitation at TMI Sports Medicine in Arlington, Texas.  Gene Coleman, Ed. D., RSCC*E, FACSM has over four decades as a head strength and conditioning coach (Astros) and strength and conditioning consultant (Rangers). He is Professor Emeritus in the Exercise and Health Sciences Program at the University of Houston – Clear Lake and Website Education Manager baseballstrength.org.

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