Your Basic Trainer

Library / Stretches

Hamstring stretch

Also called standing hamstring stretch, supine hamstring stretch, straight leg raise stretch

A back-of-thigh stretch that bends the hip with the knee straight, done standing or lying. What studies measured in the hamstrings and the sciatic nerve, and what trials of hold time, intensity and injury found.

Region
Thigh
Muscles
biceps femoris, semitendinosus, semimembranosus
Updated
October 7, 2026
Reviewed
October 7, 2026 · how entries are checked

Movement

Why the knee stays straight

The hamstring group is three long muscles: the biceps femoris, the semitendinosus and the semimembranosus8. The semimembranosus, the semitendinosus and the biceps femoris long head each cross both the hip and the knee1. The hamstrings extend (straighten) the hip and flex (bend) the knee8,9.

Knee position decides what stops the hip as it bends2. With the knee bent, the hip stops when the soft parts of thigh and abdomen meet2. With the knee straight, the hamstring muscles stop it2.

Standing or lying

A randomised trial assigns its groups by chance. One compared a standing stretch with a supine (lying face-up) one in 29 healthy subjects with limited hamstring flexibility10. Each leg was given a different stretch, done for 3 × 30 seconds, 3 days a week, for 3 weeks10. Active knee extension (straightening the knee) improved significantly with both, with no significant difference between the two10.

A systematic review of hamstring stretching trials judged their quality poor overall and could not confidently identify one most effective method3. It concluded that range of motion rises with many different techniques, positions and durations3.

How the pelvis and hip angle change the stretch

One trial randomly assigned two groups of 10 subjects to stretch with the pelvis tilted forwards or backwards11. The pelvis is the ring of bone at the base of the spine. After eight sessions, hamstring flexibility had increased significantly in the forward-tilt group and not in the backward-tilt group11.

Hip angle was tested in eighteen healthy men12. Shear wave elastography, an ultrasound method that estimates how stiff a tissue is, was used while the knee was slowly straightened12. The hip was flexed to 70°, 90° or 110°12. The most flexed position gave the highest hamstring stiffness readings, for the same amount of perceived stretch12.

What it loads

The three hamstrings are not stretched evenly

Elastography studies have measured each hamstring on its own while it was lengthened12,13:

  • One study found the semimembranosus stiffer than the semitendinosus and the biceps femoris long head13.
  • In that study, each muscle was stiffer at its distal site, farther from the centre of the body, than at its proximal site13.
  • In eighteen healthy men, readings varied between people by 27% to 35%, depending on the muscle12.

The sciatic nerve is lengthened too

The sciatic nerve is the large nerve that runs from the lower back down the back of the thigh. Its strain, how far it stretches as a share of its resting length, was measured in ten patients during hip replacement surgery14. In these patients, mean age 72, it rose by a mean of 26% when the hip was flexed and the knee extended14.

A study of 11 lower limbs from 6 fresh cadavers (bodies donated for study) added ankle dorsiflexion to a straight leg raise15. Dorsiflexion is pulling the foot and toes up toward the shin. In these cadaver limbs, dorsiflexing the ankle strained the sciatic nerve in the upper thigh but did not change strain in the biceps femoris15.

In twenty physically active volunteers, static (held) stretching and two nerve mobilisation techniques were each done in 5 × 60-second sets16. Sciatic nerve stiffness fell significantly only after one of the nerve techniques, done at maximal intensity16.

How the body adapts

Range rises, and for how long

A meta-analysis (a study that pools the results of several earlier studies) covered 19 trials in healthy young adults17. Static stretching increased hamstring flexibility compared with a control group on all three tests it pooled17.

How long the gain from one session lasted differed between studies, as this table shows18,19:

Who was studiedWhat they didHow long range stayed raised
30 male subjects with limited hamstring flexibilityFour 30-second static stretches3 minutes18
32 active college-age studentsOne bout of one of three stretch types25 minutes19
14 healthy menOne 60-second static stretchAt least 20 minutes20
24 healthy volunteersOne 300-second static stretchStill raised at 30 minutes21

Tolerance or stiffness: the studies disagree

Two trials pointed to stretch tolerance4,22:

  • In a randomised controlled trial of 16 students with short hamstrings, one 10-minute session raised range with no significant change in the passive stiffness curve4. The authors attributed the added range to increased stretch tolerance4.
  • A randomised controlled trial of thirty adults with chronic musculoskeletal pain stretched the hamstrings of one leg for 1 minute a day for 3 weeks22. Muscle extensibility (how far the muscle can be stretched) did not increase against the unstretched leg, a 1° difference22. Stretch tolerance improved, an 8° difference22.

Other trials found stiffness itself changed, in both directions5,23:

  • In a randomised controlled trial of 22 healthy participants, four hamstring and hip stretches were done five times a week for 4 weeks5. Passive stiffness fell by 31%, and pain rated during the maximal stretch did not change5.
  • In thirty healthy active participants, one bout of static stretching immediately lowered stiffness in the biceps femoris and semimembranosus, but not the semitendinosus23.
  • In a study where 15 people stretched for 4 weeks and 15 did not, stiffness went the other way23. It increased in the biceps femoris and semitendinosus, but not the semimembranosus, compared with the control group23.

A meta-analysis of 17 papers in young healthy participants pooled the stiffness of the muscle-tendon unit, a muscle and its tendon working as one24. It found a moderate decrease after a single session of static stretching24. After long-term stretching it found no significant change, only a tendency towards a decrease24. Neither result differed significantly between the hamstrings and the plantar flexors, the muscles that point the foot down24.

Strength and sprinting straight afterwards

In a crossover study, each person tries every option in turn. In a randomised one of 24 healthy volunteers, a 300-second stretch was held at maximum tolerable intensity21. Isometric hamstring force, made with the joint held still, was significantly lower 10, 20 and 30 minutes later21.

In sixteen NCAA Division I track athletes, the hamstrings, quadriceps and calves were each stretched four times for 30 seconds25. Their 20-metre sprint times were about 0.04 seconds slower than without stretching25.

Progressive overload

A 2026 position stand on resistance training describes progressive overload as the need to increase the stimulus placed on the muscle throughout a training programme26. Trials of the hamstring stretch have varied hold time, frequency and intensity27,28.

Longer holds and more sessions

Two trials in adults aged 21 to 39 with limited hamstring flexibility compared hold times over six weeks6,27. In 57 of them, 30- or 60-second stretches raised knee extension range more than 15-second stretches or no stretching6. The 30- and 60-second groups did not differ significantly6. In 93 of them, holding for 60 seconds instead of 30 added no gain27. Nor did stretching three times a day instead of once27.

A trial in older adults found otherwise29. It randomly assigned 62 people aged 65 to 97 with tight hamstrings to no stretching or to one of three hold times29. They stretched 5 times a week for 6 weeks, and range rose faster with longer holds29:

Range gained (degrees a week)15 seconds0.6 30 seconds1.3 60 seconds2.4
Range gained (degrees a week). Bars start at zero; the table below gives each value with its source.
Hold time in the trial of 62 older adultsRange gained (degrees a week)
15 seconds0.629
30 seconds1.329
60 seconds2.429

Stretching harder

In seventeen healthy participants, a 20-second static stretch was given at three intensities30. Range rose at each intensity, and more at the higher ones30. The median pain rating during the stretch rose with intensity, from 1 to 3 to 8, and was 0 immediately afterwards30.

Over a longer period, one trial found no such difference28. Fourteen untrained men did 12 weeks of static stretching of the knee flexors (the muscles that bend the knee) at low or high discomfort intensity28. The two groups did not differ on any measure28.

Static against dynamic stretching

Dynamic stretching is stretching done by moving, without a hold. A meta-analysis of 27 trials with 606 participants compared the two methods31. After a single bout, it found no significant difference in the immediate or short-term change in hamstring range31. In the long term, the gain was larger with static stretching31.

What happens after stopping

In 18 inactive college students, 6 weeks of static hamstring stretching raised mean active knee extension range from 143° to 152°32. After 4 weeks without stretching it was back at baseline, at 145°32. A further 6 weeks of stretching brought it to 154°, not different from the first gain32.

Flexibility, stretching and injury

A strain, as an injury, is an overstretched or torn muscle. Three studies of soccer players looked at flexibility, stretching and hamstring strain7,33,34:

  • Over four seasons, elite soccer teams from Iceland and Norway chose whether to use a flexibility training programme7. Strain incidence did not differ between teams that used it and teams that did not, nor from the baseline seasons7.
  • In 450 male first-class amateur soccer players followed for a year, flexibility was measured with the sit-and-reach test, a seated reach toward the toes33. It was not significantly related to injury after adjusting for age and previous hamstring injury33.
  • Among 438 professional soccer players in Qatar, lower passive knee extension range was independently associated with injury risk34. Injured and uninjured players differed by only 1.8°, and the authors called it a weak risk factor34.

A systematic review of adult athletes found evidence for hamstring inflexibility as a significant risk factor for strain to be lacking35. It could not rule it out35.

A case series is a report on a group of patients with the same condition, without a comparison group. One, of professional dancers, describes two types of hamstring strain: one happens in high-speed running, the other in stretching exercises36. All 15 dancers, each with a first acute strain, were injured during slow hip-flexion movements with the knee extended36. All the injuries lay close to the ischial tuberosity (the “sitting bone”), and 87% involved the semimembranosus36.

Connections

Three of the hamstrings cross both the hip and the knee1. A review states that the proximal hamstring tendons are pressed against the ischium, the lower rear part of the hip bone, in hip flexion37. Strain in the sciatic nerve rose in the hip-flexed, knee-straight position in ten patients measured during surgery14.

The hamstring strain page covers that condition, including the stretch-type strains described in dancers36. Related exercise pages: the Nordic hamstring curl, an exercise included in programmes that a meta-analysis of 15 studies of athletes pooled for hamstring injury risk38.

The stretching page covers static stretching in general. A meta-analysis of 189 studies in adults found flexibility gains from static stretching programmes were maximised at 10 minutes of stretching per week39.

Hamstring stretch stretches

Hamstring stretch loads

Hamstring stretch lengthens

Hamstring stretch bends

Hamstring stretch studied for its link with

Hamstring stretch is a form of

Hamstring stretch is progressed by

Hamstring stretch stretches the muscles worked by

Sources

  1. Koolmees DS, Klott JD, Poppe TR, Bernholt DL (2025). Distal Hamstring Injuries and Disorders.. Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons: Global Research & Reviews. doi:10.5435/JAAOSGlobal-D-25-00248 PMID 40972536
  2. Gray H; Lewis WH (editor) (1918). Anatomy of the Human Body. Lea & Febiger, Philadelphia (20th edition). Link
  3. Decoster LC, Cleland J, Altieri C, Russell P (2005). The effects of hamstring stretching on range of motion: a systematic literature review.. The Journal of orthopaedic and sports physical therapy. doi:10.2519/jospt.2005.35.6.377 PMID 16001909
  4. Halbertsma JP, van Bolhuis AI, Göeken LN (1996). Sport stretching: effect on passive muscle stiffness of short hamstrings.. Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitation. doi:10.1016/s0003-9993(96)90009-x PMID 8669996
  5. Marshall PW, Cashman A, Cheema BS (2011). A randomized controlled trial for the effect of passive stretching on measures of hamstring extensibility, passive stiffness, strength, and stretch tolerance.. Journal of science and medicine in sport. doi:10.1016/j.jsams.2011.05.003 PMID 21636321
  6. Bandy WD, Irion JM (1994). The effect of time on static stretch on the flexibility of the hamstring muscles.. Physical therapy. doi:10.1093/ptj/74.9.845 PMID 8066111
  7. Arnason A, Andersen TE, Holme I, Engebretsen L, Bahr R (2008). Prevention of hamstring strains in elite soccer: an intervention study.. Scandinavian journal of medicine & science in sports. doi:10.1111/j.1600-0838.2006.00634.x PMID 17355322
  8. Betts JG, Young KA, Wise JA, Johnson E, Poe B, Kruse DH, Korol O, Johnson JE, Womble M, DeSaix P (2022). Anatomy and Physiology 2e. OpenStax. Link
  9. Obey MR, Broski SM, Spinner RJ, Collins MS, Krych AJ (2016). Anatomy of the Adductor Magnus Origin. Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine. doi:10.1177/2325967115625055 PMID 26798764
  10. Decoster LC, Scanlon RL, Horn KD, Cleland J (2004). Standing and Supine Hamstring Stretching Are Equally Effective.. Journal of athletic training. PMID 15592605
  11. Sullivan MK, Dejulia JJ, Worrell TW (1992). Effect of pelvic position and stretching method on hamstring muscle flexibility.. Medicine and science in sports and exercise. PMID 1470022
  12. Le Sant G, Ates F, Brasseur JL, Nordez A (2015). Elastography Study of Hamstring Behaviors during Passive Stretching.. PloS one. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0139272 PMID 26418862
  13. Miyamoto N, Kimura N, Hirata K (2020). Non-uniform distribution of passive muscle stiffness within hamstring.. Scandinavian journal of medicine & science in sports. doi:10.1111/sms.13732 PMID 32490549
  14. Fleming P, Lenehan B, O'Rourke S, McHugh P, Kaar K, McCabe JP (2003). Strain on the human sciatic nerve in vivo during movement of the hip and knee.. The Journal of bone and joint surgery. British volume. doi:10.1302/0301-620x.85b3.13220 PMID 12729110
  15. Bueno-Gracia E, Pérez-Bellmunt A, Estébanez-de-Miguel E, López-de-Celis C, Shacklock M, Caudevilla-Polo S, González-Rueda V (2019). Differential movement of the sciatic nerve and hamstrings during the straight leg raise with ankle dorsiflexion: Implications for diagnosis of neural aspect to hamstring disorders.. Musculoskeletal science & practice. doi:10.1016/j.msksp.2019.07.011 PMID 31374476
  16. Hitier M, Vieira DCL, Cometti C, Durigan JLQ, Babault N (2026). Technique-specific reduction of sciatic nerve stiffness through neurodynamic stretches at submaximal and maximal intensity in asymptomatic individuals.. European journal of applied physiology. doi:10.1007/s00421-026-06320-8 PMID 42371082
  17. Medeiros DM, Cini A, Sbruzzi G, Lima CS (2016). Influence of static stretching on hamstring flexibility in healthy young adults: Systematic review and meta-analysis.. Physiotherapy theory and practice. doi:10.1080/09593985.2016.1204401 PMID 27458757
  18. Depino GM, Webright WG, Arnold BL (2000). Duration of maintained hamstring flexibility after cessation of an acute static stretching protocol.. Journal of athletic training. PMID 16558609
  19. Ford P, McChesney J (2007). Duration of maintained hamstring ROM following termination of three stretching protocols.. Journal of sport rehabilitation. doi:10.1123/jsr.16.1.18 PMID 17699884
  20. Takeuchi K, Akizuki K, Nakamura M (2021). Time course of changes in the range of motion and muscle-tendon unit stiffness of the hamstrings after two different intensities of static stretching.. PloS one. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0257367 PMID 34520498
  21. Hatano G, Suzuki S, Matsuo S, Kataura S, Yokoi K, Fukaya T, Fujiwara M, Asai Y, Iwata M (2019). Hamstring Stiffness Returns More Rapidly After Static Stretching Than Range of Motion, Stretch Tolerance, and Isometric Peak Torque.. Journal of sport rehabilitation. doi:10.1123/jsr.2017-0203 PMID 29252096
  22. Law RY, Harvey LA, Nicholas MK, Tonkin L, De Sousa M, Finniss DG (2009). Stretch exercises increase tolerance to stretch in patients with chronic musculoskeletal pain: a randomized controlled trial.. Physical therapy. doi:10.2522/ptj.20090056 PMID 19696119
  23. Russell A, Choi B, Robinson D, Penailillo L, Earp JE (2024). Acute and Chronic Effects of Static Stretching on Intramuscular Hamstring Stiffness.. Scandinavian journal of medicine & science in sports. doi:10.1111/sms.14670 PMID 38856021
  24. Takeuchi K, Nakamura M, Fukaya T, Konrad A, Mizuno T (2023). Acute and Long-Term Effects of Static Stretching on Muscle-Tendon Unit Stiffness: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.. Journal of sports science & medicine. doi:10.52082/jssm.2023.465 PMID 37711702
  25. Nelson AG, Driscoll NM, Landin DK, Young MA, Schexnayder IC (2005). Acute effects of passive muscle stretching on sprint performance.. Journal of sports sciences. doi:10.1080/02640410410001730205 PMID 16194993
  26. Currier BS, D'Souza AC, Singh MAF, Lowisz CV, Rawson ES, Schoenfeld BJ, Smith-Ryan AE, et al (2026). American College of Sports Medicine Position Stand. Resistance Training Prescription for Muscle Function, Hypertrophy, and Physical Performance in Healthy Adults: An Overview of Reviews.. Medicine and science in sports and exercise. doi:10.1249/MSS.0000000000003897 PMID 41843416
  27. Bandy WD, Irion JM, Briggler M (1997). The effect of time and frequency of static stretching on flexibility of the hamstring muscles.. Physical therapy. doi:10.1093/ptj/77.10.1090 PMID 9327823
  28. Beltrão NB, Ximenes Santos C, de Oliveira VMA, Pirauá ALT, Behm D, Pitangui ACR, de Araújo RC (2020). Effects of a 12-Week Chronic Stretch Training Program at Different Intensities on Joint and Muscle Mechanical Responses: A Randomized Clinical Trial.. Journal of sport rehabilitation. doi:10.1123/jsr.2018-0443 PMID 31648203
  29. Feland JB, Myrer JW, Schulthies SS, Fellingham GW, Measom GW (2001). The effect of duration of stretching of the hamstring muscle group for increasing range of motion in people aged 65 years or older.. Physical therapy. PMID 11319936
  30. Takeuchi K, Nakamura M (2020). Influence of High Intensity 20-Second Static Stretching on the Flexibility and Strength of Hamstrings.. Journal of sports science & medicine. PMID 32390737
  31. Cai P, Liu L, Li H (2023). Dynamic and static stretching on hamstring flexibility and stiffness: A systematic review and meta-analysis.. Heliyon. doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e18795 PMID 37560703
  32. Willy RW, Kyle BA, Moore SA, Chleboun GS (2001). Effect of cessation and resumption of static hamstring muscle stretching on joint range of motion.. The Journal of orthopaedic and sports physical therapy. doi:10.2519/jospt.2001.31.3.138 PMID 11297019
  33. van Doormaal MC, van der Horst N, Backx FJ, Smits DW, Huisstede BM (2017). No Relationship Between Hamstring Flexibility and Hamstring Injuries in Male Amateur Soccer Players: A Prospective Study.. The American journal of sports medicine. doi:10.1177/0363546516664162 PMID 27582278
  34. van Dyk N, Farooq A, Bahr R, Witvrouw E (2018). Hamstring and Ankle Flexibility Deficits Are Weak Risk Factors for Hamstring Injury in Professional Soccer Players: A Prospective Cohort Study of 438 Players Including 78 Injuries.. The American journal of sports medicine. doi:10.1177/0363546518773057 PMID 29772188
  35. Prior M, Guerin M, Grimmer K (2009). An evidence-based approach to hamstring strain injury: a systematic review of the literature.. Sports Health. doi:10.1177/1941738108324962 PMID 23015867
  36. Askling CM, Tengvar M, Saartok T, Thorstensson A (2007). Acute First-Time Hamstring Strains during Slow-Speed Stretching. The American journal of sports medicine. doi:10.1177/0363546507303563 PMID 17567821
  37. Grimaldi A, Mellor R, Nasser A, Vicenzino B, Hunter DJ (2024). Current and future advances in practice: tendinopathies of the hip.. Rheumatology Advances in Practice. doi:10.1093/rap/rkae022 PMID 38601140
  38. van Dyk N, Behan FP, Whiteley R (2019). Including the Nordic hamstring exercise in injury prevention programmes halves the rate of hamstring injuries: a systematic review and meta-analysis of 8459 athletes.. British Journal of Sports Medicine. doi:10.1136/bjsports-2018-100045 PMID 30808663
  39. Ingram LA, Tomkinson GR, d'Unienville NMA, Gower B, Gleadhill S, Boyle T, Bennett H (2025). Optimising the Dose of Static Stretching to Improve Flexibility: A Systematic Review, Meta-analysis and Multivariate Meta-regression.. Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.). doi:10.1007/s40279-024-02143-9 PMID 39614059

Every source the library cites

Changes

  • First published.