Get Over The “Pain In the Butt” High Hamstring Tendonitis Pain

Hamstring Tendonitis

Hamstring Tendonitis is a real pain in the butt. Here’s what I’ve learned about getting rid of high Hamstring Tendonitis pain and helpful tips on how to heal your body and return to the sports you love.


Want to heal? Check out my 
Heal High Hamstring Tendonitis Guidebook

Hamstring Tendonitis
Hamstring Tendonitis

If you are dealing with Hamstring Tendonitis, check out my High Hamstring Tendonitis Exercise Guidebook, IT WILL HELP YOU! 


Heal High Hamstring Tendonitis Guidebook

 

Have you ever had dull, aching, pain in the butt? Pain right where the hamstring attaches to the butt muscle? You feel it when you walk, you definitely feel it when you bend forward, and the idea of running faster than a shuffle sounds almost impossible.

I’ve been there. High Hamstring Tendonitis. It’s a major bummer. Major.

Hamstring Tendonitis pain is a bad injury for anyone to deal with, especially for active people who need those hamstring muscles to be working correctly to do what we love the most, our sports! The hamstrings are an essential muscle group that help us move our best.

I had my first encounter with High Hamstring Tendonitis in 2012. I was an active runner and yoga student at the time. I’d run a few times a week and attend Vinyasa Flow classes with the best teachers in SF (we are very spoiled in the Bay Area when it comes to incredible yoga teachers – this place is a mecca of talent, knowledge, and skill!). I loved it until things started to hurt.

It all began with  a vague, aching soreness high up on my hamstrings and deep into my buttock muscles. It felt like a big knot I needed to massage out and I knew something was off. I probably just have “tight runner hips”, I thought, “I must need more stretching and foam rolling”. So I did more of that.  But it didn’t seem to help. In fact, the pain got worse.

The next thought was to stop running completely until things get better. So I retired my running shoes and spent more time doing yoga, still with the idea that stretching out my “tight runner hips” was the solution to my hamstring pain. I was wrong. What was causing my hamstring pain? Why wasn’t it going away with more resting and stretching?

High Hamstring Tendonitis
High Hamstring Tendonitis Source Yoga International 

For many people who practice yoga, hamstring injuries develop over time, usually where the hamstring attaches to the sit bone. This is a tendon injury, and unlike a muscle tear, it doesn’t happen suddenly. Instead, it is “death by a thousand cuts”: each tiny rip in the tendon is relatively minor by itself, but because it does not fully heal, repeated injuries accumulate over time, until an ill-considered bit of overstretching or an overly aggressive adjustment from a teacher finally puts the injury over the edge.

To give you a visual: if my hamstrings were a hair rubber band, over stretching had forced the band to rip and fray, causing them to lose their elasticity and no longer work to hold things together. Because it was so loose, my body had to fight to hold on and was in pain.

I didn’t need more flexibility, I needed stability. My hamstrings and hips had become so overstretched they could no longer support the demands of movement. The repetitive stress of countless downward dogs, forward folds, and hip openers on my already bendy body was ripping my hamstrings apart.

Stretching was actually causing my pain. What I needed was strength.

I stopped stretching and picked up the weights. I worked to realign my spine and regain strength in my butt, hips, and core. Squats, stability ball hamstring curls, Deadlifts (with good form!), and kettlebells were my best friends. I avoided all forward folds, downward dogs, and hip openers. A consistent strength program and a moderate rate of progression helped me heal my hamstrings. I was very lucky to have several incredible colleagues and coaches to help guide me through the process of figuring out what helped my hamstrings feel better and what didn’t. But real talk here: Your Body Is Your Business. Others can give you information to help you grow. But the only person responsible for figuring out what you need for your body to heal is you. 

Have you had high Hamstring Tendonitis or are working through hamstring pain? Here are a few more details on high Hamstring Tendonitis pain and an exercise video that can help you gently get your hamstrings to work again.

Causes of High Hamstring Tendonitis Pain

  • Repetitive stress particularly from activities like running, jumping, kicking, and yoga which can involve excessive lengthening of the hamstring muscles
  • Weak hamstrings, hips, glutes, and core muscles
  • Muscular imbalances, especially between the hamstrings and quadriceps
  • Overstretching of the hamstring, hip, or butt muscles

How to get rid of High Hamstring Tendonitis Pain

Always consult your doctor or physical therapist before starting this or any exercise routine.

I am not a doctor, but have successfully overcome high Hamstring Tendonitis pain as well as helped many others heal from the condition through my work as a fitness professional. I share my story and what I’ve found helpful to give you insight and hope that you can heal from High Hamstring pain and return to the sports you love.

For me, strength training has been an essential piece of recovering my hamstrings to full health. At first I was scared to do any movement, but I discovered that smart strength training and a moderate rate of progression helped me put the bounce back into my muscles and heal from pain.

Unlike most injuries, you can not get over high Hamstring Tendonitis by resting. It actually takes a lot of work to physically change what is causing the issue. You want to Keep Moving Mindfully! A muscle in tension stays in tension until you change its position. Functional movement is the key to healing strong and mobile muscles. Get a support team of trusted health professionals to assist you in your healing process. Trust me: you and your body are worth the investment. But no matter what, remember that you must heal yourself. Everything and everyone that helps is just an “assist” to your body’s own healing capacity.

For me healing from high Hamstring Tendonitis was a process of trial and error: noticing the exercises that helped get rid of pain (hello stability ball hamstring curls!) and noticing the exercises that caused pain (goodbye forward folds!). I encourage you to work slowly, listen to your body, and notice what helps you feel better and what you need to avoid to heal. I always say to my coaching clients, “you only have time to feel good”! So keep the exercises that work for you and avoid the ones that cause you to hurt!

Hamstring Tendonitis
Hamstring Tendonitis

Exercises to Help High Hamstring Tendonitis Pain

Since High Hamstring Tendonitis pain can result from bodily imbalances and misalignments, these basic exercises can relieve hamstring discomfort by realigning the hips and the knees.

However please keep in mind that everybody’s body is different and no exact program found online will address your specific needs. I want to offer you a general menu of specific hamstring exercises that I found helpful in healing my hamstring and relieving pain. Consider adding this exercise video to your High Hamstring Tendonitis rehabilitation program. I believe if you do the following exercises once a day you’ll be able to bring some relief to those hamstrings. To get personalized coaching to help you heal your hamstrings, contact me at : [email protected] . The exercises you’ll do in this video include:

Double Leg Glute Bridge: Lie on your back with the knees bent and feet hip-width apart. Place arms at your side and lift up the spine and hips. Slowly bring the hips back down, then lift back up or hold this position for 10-60 seconds.

Exercises for Hamstring Tendonitis Pain
Exercises for Hamstring Tendonitis Pain Photo Credit Kuroda Studios
Exercises for High Hamstring Tendonitis Pain
Exercises for High Hamstring Tendonitis Pain Photo Credit Kuroda Studios

Single Leg Glute Bridge: Same form as the above double leg glute bridge but with one leg instead of two.  Hold this position for 10-60 seconds or lift hips up and down for 10-15 reps.

Side lying clamshell: Lay down on the side of your body with your legs bent in 90 degrees. Lift the top leg up and down, with the foot facing forward. You should feel this on the side of your butt and in your hips. Perform 10-20 reps and then switch sides.

Hamstring curl: Lie down on belly on your mat with your legs extended straight. Lift one leg off the floor and curl your heel towards your butt using your hamstrings, glutes, and core muscles. Repeat 10-15 reps and then switch sides.

Front Plank: Lie on the stomach with elbows close to the sides directly under the shoulders. The palms should be facing downwards. Now, engage the abdominal muscles. There will be a sensation of tightness around the ribs and lower part of the body. Now, contract the thigh muscles and straighten the legs and flex the ankles. Now, slowly lift the torso and thighs off the floor. The legs need to be kept as rigid as possible. Try maintaining this position for about 10 seconds.

Ready to get started? Pay attention to the alignment cues and have fun! I hope this hamstring exercise video helps you feel better.

When you are ready to make PROGRESS in healing your hamstrings for good, my High Hamstring Tendonitis Exercise Guidebook provides a complete exercise program. This program expands on the workouts and exercises done in the video above. If you’ve found the Exercises to help high hamstring tendonitis pain youtube video helpful (or have been doing it DAILY), then you will love the High Hamstring Tendonitis Exercise Guidebook. The programming is really solid and I am positive when you feel ready to start re-training the hamstring to move in a HEALTHY way, the workouts in the 16 weeks will benefit you. Check it out here . And yes, both men and women have been using the guidebook to rehab their injuries and return to their active lives.

You can also contact me to get personalized coaching to help you heal your hamstrings at : [email protected]

Injury is a great teacher, most often arising from patterns and habits of movement developed over long periods of time. Injuries awaken us to these patterns–and to new ways of moving and being within our body.

Many people don’t believe me when I tell them that too much yoga can be a bad thing. In the mainstream culture Yoga is seen as something that is safe to do everyday. But too much of anything is never a good thing. Have you ever suffered from High Hamstring Tendonitis? Have you ever had an injury from too much flexibility? What did you do to help your body heal? Leave me a comment below, I’d love to hear your story and what has helped you.

For more reading on yoga injuries and high Hamstring Tendonitis, check out these posts:


High Hamstring Tendonitis Exercise Guidebook

I hope this post serves you in feeling your very best. Here’s to keeping our hamstrings healthy and happy for life!

With love and squats,
Caroline

Contact [email protected]  to get personalized coaching to help you heal your hamstrings.


Heal High Hamstring Tendonitis Guidebook

Other Things To Check Out:

108 Replies to “Get Over The “Pain In the Butt” High Hamstring Tendonitis Pain”

  1. OH MY GOSH THANK YOU!! I googled my symptoms, found the name of my affliction, and then found this post. Just what I needed. I’ve always done lots of balanced strength training and running but recently have gotten very into yoga, doing it 4-5 times a week thinking that it would be helpful for my training. My hamstrings did get super flexible and I was so proud of my progress, until I got a pain from doing dynamic warmups for crossfit sprints a few weeks ago. Since then, even jogging is painful, and bending at the hip, but squatting feel ok, as do some other lower body movements. Going to begin incorporating these exercises in daily and I’ll let you know how it works. Haven’t been to a doctor or PT because I’m a trainer and figure I’d try to handle on my own, being mindful of course.

      1. Hi Iv suffered from this tendon injury on and off for for 3 years ,I wanted to do my yoga teacher training , but iv over stretched it again recently ! Do you still practise yoga ?

        1. Hi! I no longer practice traditional flow yoga classes as I am HYPER Mobile and do not need more mobility (it creates instability and pain in MY body). I still meditate and practice other elements of yoga <3

        2. It appears that I have acute high hamstring tendonitis/tendinopathy. I ran across your website and exercises a couple of days ago, and have started to do a couple of the exercises. Were you ever able to walk or do other exercises in the 2 years you were recovering from this? I love walking, but my butt muscles and hip side muscles get so tight, I find it difficult.

          1. Yes I was and was active throughout my recovery. I now coach people on how to do the same, HEAL their hamstrings, and return to active living 🙂

  2. Thanks much. I just started these exercises, so will let you know. I think I finally discovered what’s been wrong with me for a year of pain. I began Pickleball a year ago April. And I’ve been playing 3-4 times a week for up to 2-3 hrs! Then, I’d sit all day & night at computer for my 2 full time jobs, etc & caretaking my mom. Never rest…I knew it wasn’t good but kept playing until my legs just buckled when I’d try to sprint to net! Stretching made it worse. Deep tissue massage helps a bit, but I’d sleep with ice packs under glutes & hammies every nite with no relief! I finally stopped playing PB & could just cry, I loved it so much. At 64, I became highest scoring female at our Rec center. Now, just can’t play. I’m going for an MRI asap to confirm this self diagnosis. Everything everyone was saying just didn’t work. I’ll let you know! Am praying this will be the answer! Thx again 😉

      1. HOLY COW! Jillian’s description of the pain, and the Pickle Ball is so similar to my experience with this. My butt muscles and and upper thigh muscles bccame so stiff after playing Pickleball at Thanksgiving I just felt pain all the time, and still have. The medical system around here sucks. I had done an extraordinary amount of sitting, while in Puerto Rico for the Hurricane Disaster and wasn’t able to exercise hardly at all for 35 days. I’m just not your typical 64 year old, so when I got back home I know I totally over did it trying to stretch everything out with weights, my rowing machine, and playing golf and Pickle Ball. The doctors just couldn’t seem to get a hold on the diagnosis, saying it was due to arthritis, which I know just isn’t the case. When I read Caroline’s description and saw these exercises, I just knew this is what happened to me. I started these exercises a couple of days ago , I do hope they work. My pain has been unbearable as well and I’ve tried everything; I didn’t realize I had just been exasperating the injury by doing stretching exercises on my hamstrings every day.

        1. NO stretching Randy! You need to restore the stability and strength to your muscles – the right strength moves WILL help you heal. Not exercising also doesnt help! You need a personalized strength program and specific movements. Contact me at [email protected] if you need coaching for this <3 Happy healing to you!

  3. Thank you for this! I’ve been dealing with this pain for over a year and I’m desperate for it to go away. I will definitely give these exercises a try. A quick question though…you said to not run or swim in the video – I haven’t run in two months but was curious on your thoughts about spin classes and the elliptical for cardio? I don’t want to do anything that is going to make it worse than it already is! Looking forward to some relief! Thanks again!

  4. I’ve been having issues with my hamstrings for over a year now and I ran across this post. I am going to start doing the exercises religiously (while praying that they help me too! haha). I love your positive attitude. You’re giving me hope about this situation!

  5. Hi Caroline,
    I’m a dance teacher who has always done loads of yoga! Thank you for helping me understand what’s been going on with my butt pain! I have cut right back on my stitching which is super hard for my lifestyle & have been doing your exercises. Still feeling a little pain but it seems to be easing slightly. Did you do any cardio while you were recovering? What other exercise would you suggest that is appropriate? I am feeling a little inactive & helpless! Cheers!

    1. Hi Erin! Thank you so much for reading and sharing! Focus on STRENGTH and stability and I am confident you will see progress in healing. My 6 week strength training program may really serve you: http://www.carolinejordanfitness.com/strong-beautiful-course/ . I did cardio while I was healing, spinning / cycling, swimming, and intervals. Everybody’s body is different, but Id recommend cardio exercise where your leg can’t be hyperextended or straight. This puts extra strain on the hamstring (running, lots of walking, kicking, etc). Esp. if you are prone to hyperextension / locking out your legs. Does that make sense?

  6. Thank you for this. You’ve described perfectly what I have been dealing with all summer, and I immediately felt better from the exercises. Will keep at it and hope it continues to improve.

  7. Hi Caroline, thanks for the great info. Can you comment on your level of discomfort/pain while doing the exercises noted above? Should they be completely pain-free or did you gradually feel less pain as you grew stronger and more stable? I’m afraid everything hurts at this point (ESPECIALLY stretching). Sigh.

    1. Hi Amy. I gradually felt less pain as I grew stronger and more stable. It takes a LONG time and sometimes you do a little too much, back off, and then slowly progress forward. Have you watched my Youtube video on setbacks in healing? Might be helpful. But everybodys body is different!! Maybe you just need some quality rest time before you move into these PT style exercises. LISTEN to your body it will tell you best.

  8. Thank you so much!! I’ve been dealing with this issue for about 8 months now.. really a big pain in the butt. I haven’t been able to fence properly.

    I went through a lot of PT and visits to the doctor, but my hamstring didn’t get better. My PT would give me leg compressions, massage, and a little bit strength training. After reading your article I have a good feeling that I need to start strengthening my legs.
    My symptoms were a bit different from the start, I didn’t gradually feel pain but immediately. It felt like a tear in my upper thigh at first and for about a month I couldn’t walk up and down the stairs. My coach told me to rest it for a bit and I did. Surely, the pain gradually went away and I barely felt anything when doing everyday tasks. Around four months into my injury, I went back to fence. During my warmup, I felt fine, but once I started my lessons, I felt a lot of pain. Then I went to the PT (probably a bit late..), went back to fence 4 months later; same thing. Currently it hurts quite a lot and I’m wearing a leg wrap everyday to help manage the pain.. haha.

    Thank you for your article, it gave me quite some insite and I can’t wait to start doing the exercises!

  9. Thank you so much for your experience and knowledge. It’s been so helpful for me. I’m a nurse and my providers kept telling me it was sciatica. I had that issue years ago and this is not the same at all. I now receive PT 2 times a week, which is helping slowly but surely.
    The exercises you demonstrate are so helpful.
    Thanks again!

    1. Im so happy to hear it has helped Lora! Please feel free to share with others that could benefit ! Sending you love and light <3

  10. Physio diagnosed me with this. I felt my hamstring give while doing yoga. I do yoga for running injury prevention but obviously need to do more strength training. Thanks for the exercises. Fingers crossed I can fix it

    1. Having a balanced strength training program helped me completely get rid of my pain. It took 2 years of consistent strength work! Sending you love and light <3

  11. Thank you Caroline! This video is great, I just started doing the exercises every night and am already feeling an improvement. Unfortunately I developed HHT as a runner and decided to “rehab” myself with yoga ( woops)- while my hip pain significantly improved (though remains if I try to run anything faster than a ten minute mile) my knee began bothering me on the same side which I’ve read can occur with longstanding HHT. Am hoping this will be the turning point!

  12. Hi, I’m having this pain in butt problem for more than 6 months now. I now have been seeing PT 6 times and doing your exercise daily for a week now.
    How long it took your hamstring to heal after these exercises? I feel one step forward, three steps backwards. There is time after my PT visit, I felt great for a couple days, then it went back to these pains again. Since I have high deductible in my insurance plan, I really can’ afford to see PT too many times and really hope this self treatment can work. Thank you so much to showing this video and give me some hope of this pain can go away.

    1. Hi Tina! Im sorry about your hamstring, I hope the exercises are helpful for you too! Its a long process BUT if you do the right things you CAN get the pain to go away and return to the life you love. It can take anywhere from 1 year to never without the right treatment. Restoring strength to your BUTT, hips, and core along with BODY BALANCE is essential to helping you heal. I know you can do it! Have you checked out my Strong Body program? https://caroline-jordan-fitness.teachable.com/p/strong-body-beautiful I built it to help you build BALANCE in your body. Let me know if you have any questions…. i think the program would serve you in many ways.

  13. Thanks for this. I think this is exactly what’s happening to me. I stared doing yoga about 9 months ago to help my running and I’ve noticed more hamstring and butt pain than ever. Last week I felt the big knot deep in my glutes and have been googling my symptoms ever since. This is the first post that got exactly what I was feeling!!

    My question is were you doing yoga at all during the time when you incorporated more strength training? I would like to keep doing yoga once a week or so, unless you think I that would be counterproductive.

    Thanks!

    1. Hi Anna! My body is excessively hypermobile, so no, I did not practice yoga and still cant because it causes pain. But since stopping stretching, I no longer have any problems with my hamstrings. However, every body is different and yours might be able to return to a practice once it is back to healthy!

      1. Wow I have finally found the answer, I did a season of triathlons last year which involved a good amount of running which is quite new to me, not a great runner. I remember exactly when this pain in the but became severe was when I did a two day trial run which involved a lot of climbing. I then pretty much went down hill, I even changed the saddle on my bike as that deep pain was unbearable, I was so thrilled to come across your info which made me realize what the problem was, I’ve stopped over stretching and do the exercises you suggested, I have now started to do a bit of easy running, so far so good. Thank you

  14. Caroline,

    Thanks for sharing your experience and solution. I, like other readers of this thread, have been searching for a way to heal my HTT. I just recently started running 4-5 times per week for the pst 6-7 weeks or so and just recently began feeling the pain in the butt! It’s extremely discouraging because I was finally hitting longer distances and seeing significant time reductions in my runs…I’m afraid I may have pushed a little too hard.

    How long did your program take for the HTT pain to subside and is it completely unreasonable to continue to run a few times per week in hopes to retain the work I’ve put in to get where I’m at?

    Thank you!

    1. Hi Josh! It took me about 2 years to heal completely – but I worked with a strength coach who helped me rehab my hamstring with exercises. Its all about balancing the hips, BUTT, and core. Doing the RIGHT exercises to help the hamstring heal is KEY. I now work with clients all over the world in designing strength programming to help them heal – let me know if you want some virtual coaching to move away from this pain and see positive change.

  15. Caroline,
    I am a runner and had these symptoms a year ago, They went away on their own with stretching and alot of use of the foam roller (maybe it was not true high hamstring tendonitis at the time). The pain has just started up again and I’ve been trying to stretch, use heat and the foam roller again. I have also been trying Bar Method. Would Bar have the same impact as Yoga? Some to the exercises look similar to what you show above. My butt/hammi usually feel better after taking a Bar class but the pain is still hanging around (although not terrible). I am wondering if there is a particular exercise I should modify. I’m very active. Would hate to have to stop doing anything! Ski season is coming up!
    Thanks for your thoughts!

    1. Hi Teri. I would be really careful with Barre classes as they typically overload the quads and then tighten the hipflexors (contributing to the muscular imbalance of tight quads and tight hip flexors with weak glutes that causes this issue). Have you considered my strength program? https://caroline-jordan-fitness.teachable.com/p/strong-body-beautiful ? Done consistently (and mindfully) it will help you restore balance between the back and front of your body, get ready for ski season, and rehab this issue.

  16. Hallelujah! Holy pain in the tush…and my hamstrings! I’m so happy to have found this and believe it hits the nail on the head.
    I tried to find an answer to my question with no luck. I’m having excruciating pain while driving and sitting. I avoid sitting at all cost and hate driving because of the pain it causes sitting. I’ve been using a seat cushion to help…but it doesn’t help much.
    Wondered if you have recommendations to help with the pain while sitting and or driving?

    Thanks, Amy

  17. Thanks for this! Just ran my first marathon (with this injury). I’ve been in PT for 2 months without much success. When will I know I’m ready to run again? Should there be no pain? THanks so much! Also have the pain after sitting and commuting like the comment above.

    Thanks again 🙂

  18. Hi. How often I should do this routine? I have been doing it every morning, should I do another round later in the day or several times a day? It seems my symptoms getting worse when the days goes on.

  19. Hello Caroline, I just started doing your exercises and crossing fingers this will help heal! My HHT has been gradual with running and yoga. It’s only on my right side. When I do your second clam exercise you say not to use my hip flexor. On my HHT side I can’t seem to isolate my glute in this position and it very much uses my hip flexor. Advice on how not to do this? Thanks!!

    1. Hi Lena! Its not uncommon to have “sleeping booty” syndrome on one side. This glute may need different exercises or an alteration on form. Its hard to say how to not use your hip flexor without working with you in person – but happy to set up a virtual appointment with you if you want to figure it out. Keep healing and stay positive! I know you will progress with all the right exercises and mindset 🙂

  20. Hi Caroline –

    Thank you so much for posting this! I had an onset of pain after doing my first Ironman in September 2016 and it has been a nagging pain in the butt ever since. I have been feeling particularly discouraged lately because I finished a couple of months of physical therapy without feeling like I was making any progress, so your reassurances that I’m doing the right thing (focusing on strengthening my hamstrings and glutes) really helped. I was starting to feel like I would never fully recover from this injury, but you’ve given me hope.

    One quick question – I know you suggested taking it easy with running, but I wanted to get your opinion on switching to an elliptical? Does that stretch the hamstring in the same way that running would? If so, I can stick with swimming and cycling as my cardio options for now, but I thought I’d check.

    Thank you again for sharing!

    1. Hi Ashley! Im so happy the post has helped you! Its a LONG process of recovery, but Im positive you are on the right track with healing. Its ALL about strength esp in the butt and core. You may also want to look at lifestyle habits that put excess stretch on the hamstring (how you walk, stand, etc) to see if any of those are slowing down the recovery process. Elliptical could be ok depending on how your body moves when you do it. I’d say try a small dose of elliptical and see how your body responds to it.

      Have you checked out my Strong Body program? It includes all of the strength work I did in healing from this injury in addition to PT. The programming is really solid and I think when you feel ready to start loading the hamstring in a positive way, the workouts in the 6 weeks may really benefit you. Check it out here https://caroline-jordan-fitness.teachable.com/p/strong-body-beautiful . Let me know if you have any questions and keep positive! You are healing and I KNOW will return to healthy hamstrings.

      1. I was going to ask the same question about the elliptical–I have been using one to combat the pain of running and it definitely is much more comfortable. But I’m wondering if I’m better off with small strides, longer ones or switching it up? Just downloaded your program and I’m pouring over it and getting ready to get started. I don’t do yoga much, but I’m a dancer and my go-to solution over the past year+ has been to stretch more. Yikes! Ran (or hobbled) today and stretched after–and that pushed me to go looking for answers. Very excited to have an idea of what this actually is and how I can get past it.

  21. Yes..thank you! The video was helpful. However, just doing one session of your video to strengthen my hips has made a considerable difference with my driving. I can actually be comfortable for about 15 minutes before really focusing on my posture.

    THANK YOU!!

      1. My high hamstring woes seem to flare up just by going for short walks. Did you have this too? Your exercises definitely help, though my PT seemed to think there still needs to be stretching. It’s a real pain in the butt to navigate. Thanks for al you do

  22. Hi Caroline, after reading your post on HHT I am now convinced that mine was caused from yoga. I also do jujitsu three times per week and a Les Mills body pump class once or twice per week. I am going to discontinue the yoga but what are your thoughts on the body pump class? Are there certain exercises in body pump zi should avoid? I am not willing to take a break from jujitsu. There is a lot of bridging in jujitsu so I am hoping that will help my HTT.

    1. Hi Kent – is there a lot of kicking in jujitsu? That may be contributing to a lot of the over stretching on the hamstring and causing pain. I would be very careful!

  23. Thank you for posting the high hamstring exercises video. I could not drive more than 2 miles without the sitting pain getting very intense.I had a 15 hr roundtrip road trip coming up and was psyching myself up to endure the pain that i thought was going to be present through the drive. I saw the video 2 days before the trip ,did the bridges ,and would activate the glute and hamstring muscles while driving…The pain was minor! Just got back today and will continue the therapy so that i can go back to running…thank you!

  24. I am so glad I found this post! I just started doing yoga about 6 mos ago and have been trying to stretch the feck out of my hamstrings, but it’s only getting worse. This approach makes a lot of sense since I feel like I can’t even put weight on my right side. It’s a total strength issue! Thank you so much. Just did round one and can already tell this is what I’ve been looking for for months. Thank you!

  25. Hi Caroline,

    I have had this problem off an on for about 2 years now and it is driving me crazy. For me however, it only affects the right hamstring. I’ve had scans etc. but nothing comes back. Not great progress with over 3 different physiotherapists. This looks great and I am starting to try these exercises now to see if I have success.

    My question for you is, since it is my right hamstring that has the pain, the left is fine, should I still do exercises on both legs? Or should I just focus on the leg in pain?

    Look forward to hearing from you

  26. Hi, many thanks for this great video! I’m doing triathlon training and around 2 weeks ago I’ve started to feel this pain in my butt. After a bit of research I found you on youtube and I have started to make the excersizes daily. It already feels better, but the pain is not completely gone. I wanted to ask when do I know if I am reasy to start running again? Could I do already some easy running and cycling or would I need to stop completely until it is cured? (I keep swimming and I did some easy cycling, but is this actually delaying my recovery?) Thanks a lot!

    1. Hi Ebru!! Im so happy you commented and Im so sorry to hear about your hamstring. I cant tell you how often I see coaching clients come to me with this problem – it is a big issue for endurance athletes especially. I feel so lucky to help so many out of this pain and back into the healthy, active lives they enjoy. Strength training and developing a smart movement plan is the KEY to healing this issue for good. Without working with you directly as your coach, I am unable to offer personalized recommendations and support. I offer virtual and in-person injury recovery coaching for clients all over the world. With coaching you would receive personalized recommendations, guidance, and support. Together we would work together to create a fitness routine, specific exercises, and other lifestyle habits to allow you to move forward in healing FOR GOOD. I feel so lucky to have helped people stay fit and positive while recovering from this injury. It is really powerful to serve clients in this way. I believe investing in coaching is the best way to make a commitment to yourself, your health, and your happiness. Virtual recovery coaching is done via google hangout or phone. In person appointments are held in San Francisco, however I do travel to meet clients in their homes and in their studios as well. You can learn more about all of my services and download a price sheet here: http://carolinejordanfitness.com/services/

      Id absolutely love to work with you and help you re-hab this high hamstring and return to active living pain free. Please let me know if you have any additional questions or would like to set up a injury recovery coaching appointment. I am sending you positive, healing energy. Looking forward to hearing from you soon and be well!

      Caroline

  27. Hello from New Zealand! Strong butt, strong life is my new motto!!! I needed to find your video. I have been suffering issues for about 2 and a half years now. For almost all of 2017 I’ve been seeing a physio that advised similar exercises and I made progress, but then it all fizzled out. I guess the long road to recovery took its toll and I needed new inspiration. A couple quick questions. If I do these exercises and find myself a little bit sore/uncomfortable to sit later in the day, do I need to back off on the intensity? I don’t feel any pain when doing it. My physio used to say that I should push hard so that I feel some pain while exercising, but I always seem to get delayed onset of pain. And that ends up being the reason why I don’t do the moves regularly. Also, I find that my hamstring is quite tight. Is there any “safe” stretch that can be done to relieve that? Thanks for your positive vibes and posting this video

  28. This is super helpful. I’ve suffered from a tight periformis, especially on the left side but have recently noticed dull, nagging pain on the right, especially when doing hills, speedwork and bending forward. I’m thinking my increased running on my treadmill (especially HIIT runs with hills) this winter has been the cause. Sometimes I feel like I’m just not built to be a runner, but you’re giving me hope!

    1. My pain did the same… started in left hip and for about 8 months stayed there, I’m in month 9 and it has suddenly changed tot he right 🙁 I hope your pain goes away soon!

    2. Thank you so much for this! I have been suffering with torn hamstring muscles for nine months now! I went to a Physical Therepist and have been doing exercises that weren’t helping too much.I have given up all the yoga that I was practicing and am now very stiff and have hamstring pain every day. I’m looking forward to doing your suggested exercises every day. Thanks again!

  29. Can you get this pain from sitting too long? I just started seeing a doctor and gave me one exercise to do. Glad to find this

  30. Thank you so much for this post. I have been suffering from high hamstring tendonitis since mid 2017 from 30 years of running. I went to a sports doctor, 2 different physical therapists. While I felt pretty good after going to the 2nd PT, the “at home” exercises did not seem to be doing much when I was on my own. I have been doing the exercises in the video consistently for 2 weeks now and feel sooo much better. Bridge and the 2nd clamshell exercise I believe are helping me the most. My PT had recommended bridge but did not provide the same guidance that you state in the video which I believe is making the difference (squeezing the butt and the grapefruit reference). Thanks again!

  31. Hi there – I’ve had this issue for at least 10 years:(. It all started with yoga – I love the way yoga makes me feel, and – being an overdoer! I always overdid. It’s funny to come across this, as just two weeks ago I started a Jazzercise strength class, and it incorporates many of these or similar exercises. I had remarked to my husband that they seemed to be helping my long standing hamstring issue – finally! I’m 62 years old, and plan to backpack the 220 mi John Muir Trail this summer. Strength rules! Thank you for posting this.

  32. Hi Caroline, I’ve been using this video for the past 7 months as my pain began about 9 months ago. It has helped greatly. I was wondering, during the 2 years you were recovering, did the pain ever “flare up” from time to time or did it just continue to progress for the better each day? Did it ever change to aches in the hip? I find I get about 3-6 weeks of no pain (but I can’t run, can walk at normal speed though!) and then it flares up for 4 days – 3 weeks again, where I am a bit limited at the gym. I do your vid, even during the flare ups as they are similar to my physio ones but more effective. Thanks for your insight <3

    P.s. you mentioned in the blog that Strong Body program would be ok for this injury? I have fear of over doing it…

    1. Hi Micki! Yes flare ups happen – but you start to learn what causes pain and what gets rid of it. You learn HOW to move with good form and how to train differently to help build stronger muscles and move away from pain. The Strong Body program would be a good choice for you eventually – but I think youd need individual injury recovery coaching first to teach you proper movement patterns and get this to heal more before moving into a strength program thats a little more challenging. Does that make sense? You can send me an email at [email protected] and we can discuss further! xo

  33. Thank you for this very helpful information and exercise routine.
    I know that sitting really aggravates my tendons (both Sides),
    as part of your recovery how did you manage sitting e.g did you avoid sitting most of the time,
    which is really difficult to do.
    I am doing Pilates and I also intend to do your exercise regime.

  34. I’m a dancer and 16 I have had this condition for about 6 months now, I originally cut back from dancing 7 day’s a week to doing very little as the pain was so bad and no one knew what it was I have been betting back into dancing more and more and doctors think that this condition is what I have. I can go through a month and have minimal pain and then the next minute I don’t do anything different but have really bad pain. I have been doing minimal stretching and some strengthening but from your experience I’m am 100% going to try your exercises. From your experience will I ever be able to stretch to become more flexible again as I want to be a professional dancer? And will the pain and injury ever actually go away or is it something that will just get better but will have forever? Thank you very much x

    1. Hi Michelle! Im so happy to hear the post has helped you! I suggest doing the video 2x per day and dont stretch!! I cant tell you if youll have this condition forever but I can say that developing strength to your muscles through a balanced program will help with healing!

  35. This post and video feel like both physical and emotional therapy for me. I first noticed the pain in my butt about ten years ago when I was in my early twenties. I would feel it after extended periods at my desk, and I always thought of it as my “sitting injury.” I assumed it was a tight muscle that needed to be stretched. I take a lot of dance classes, so I do a lot of stretching.

    As time passed, the sitting injury got worse. My doctor was stumped. I stretched even more diligently, got a standing desk at work, and visited two physical therapists who told me to work on my back flexibility. That didn’t help. Last December, during dress rehearsal for a possibly over-ambitious festive holiday pole dancing performance, something went pop. There followed quite a lot of pain. I finally visited a specialist, and this nice orthopedic surgeon told me that I’d had proximal hamstring tendonitis for years and had now suffered a high hamstring tear. I was sent to another physical therapist… who gave me back flexibility exercises. Still not helpful.

    I’ve been using your video for about a week and I already feel less pain — and a lot more hope. Big virtual hug!!

  36. Hello!
    I wanted to ask, on top of strength training, what cardio exercises could you do that did not irritate the tendinitis? I find walking and the elliptical seem okay for right now. Just looking for some tips 🙂

  37. So glad I found you’re video. I am an avid runner and this condition put the kabosh on my daily workouts which helps me both physically and mentally. I am going to be working with a physical therapist who specializes with athletes and just one full workout with you significantly alleviated my pain. I will definitely keep it up!

  38. Diagnosed after six months with high hamstring injury, been in rehab three months, no improvement. At 81 is there any hope for me to get rid of this pain. Can’t sit in a chair, hard or soft, more more than 15 to 20 minutes. It has now been over a year since the pain first began. I can’t bend over without excruciating pain. Is their any hope for me?

  39. Hi Caroline! So happy to have come across your post!! I struggle with this pain, but I’m not sure I’m hypermobile. I do know that doing a deadlift without hardly any weight can cause this pain for me, though. Also, I’ve never been able to sit on the floor. So tight! Even when I was a kid. I’ve never been a consistent yoga practitioner for this very reason, but I am a runner. Are these exercises still what you would recommend?

  40. Thank you so much Caroline! I am a runner and miss running. I’m signed up for two half marathons and one marathon the next few months. I am aware I’ll miss out on most if not all. I know I need to cross train and strengthen in order to get back to what I really love. I think your hip/but strengthening exercises are just what I need! I can’t wait to get better and get out on the road again. Hopefully it’s sooner than later but I don’t think I’ll ever stop doing these exercises regularly. Thank you so much for sharing!

  41. I feel blessed to have come across this post! I just reached my 1 year mark from date of injury & was misdiagnosed for 8 months! My story is almost carbon copy! I was an avid BIKRAM practitioner & super into outdoor sports! I recently began PT, brief walking in a pool & out, & am in pain on the daily! My life surrounds around this painful injury! I will start these exercises tomorrow after my graston session. 1 set each? I have been scouring the internet for answers & finally came across……hopefully my guide to healing! Much appreciation & love!

  42. Awesome video!! Thank you so much!! I think I got this injury from “over stretching” in yoga. Should you do these exercised every day, every other day? Thanks again!!

  43. Hi Caroline, this article is great and I feel it really addresses part of the problem I’m having. I don’t believe I have flexible hamstrings necessarily, however, in a forward fold I can only get my hands to about my knees before I have terrible burning behind my knees, so I never really feel a hamstring stretch even with knees bent. . I’ve been focusing on calf stretches and that does seem to help (telling you this even though it may be unrelated, thought you might have insight or tips)!
    Ok, so, I’m pretty much a mess from head to toe. I have cervical stenosis which causes much pain in my neck and shoulders. It ultimately has caused dysfunction in my hips and legs. My hips (extensors, flexors, & rotators) are very flexible, perhaps hyper mobile. My hips are strong but surely more flexible than they are strong (if that makes sense) My legs are not flexible at all. Obviously, there’s a strength and stability issue with that. I will start your videos immediately as they really resonate as the right things to be doing.
    I’m taking a very long time to say what I need to say. That is, I am a yoga and Pilates instructor for a living. It is my full time work. I’ve just gone back to work after 3 months off because the pain had gotten too severe. I cannot afford to take more time. What the heck am I going to do?! Do you see anyway that I might be able to gain the strength and stability I need, recover from this HHT, and get myself out of this miserable pain all while teaching several classes each day? Will my yoga thwart any healing or is it worth a try? I can definitely do a lot of teaching without joining in the exercise, but inevitably, there will be occasions that demonstrating a pose will be necessary.
    I’ve tried to replace my advanced classes with gentle and restorative classes but in two months I begin my contract at the university where the college students are surely going to want to be more aggressive. Ugh! I’m considering looking into a new career, but that’s about as painful as my body is 🙁 thanks for your wonderful article and any feedback you might be able to give.

  44. Thank you so much for this video. I’ve also been dealing with this issue for 2+ years, several chiro, injections, PT, you name it & NOTHING has helped. I’ve now stopped running/yoga & doing Sweat with Kayla & your exercises daily. Two weeks in & I can already feel a difference. I sit for 8+ a day at my job & was beginning to feel like I’d have to find something new because sitting was hell.
    Now I actually feel like there is hope for healing & improvement. How do you progress from here as you get away from pain? Do you add more reps, elastic bands, etc.? Thanks again so much for your help! I can’t tell you how much this has helped me already!

      1. That’s wonderful. I look forward to purchasing it, but I don’t have access to a gym. Are the exercises in the guidebook able to be done with minimal equipment/at home? Thanks again!

  45. Hey Caroline! Oh my, reading through your article was something. I felt like someone else was writing my own story. My name is also Caroline, I am also an active runner and yoga practitionner. I had a muscle tear in my hamstring last year which healed well, but ever since I felt stiffer on my right side. So (you see it coming), I started running less and thought I should be stretching more, so I did that zealously, like 20-40 min a day, all focusing on the hamstrings (lunges, half splits, forward folds, you name it). An MRI 3 weeks ago showed I had high hamstring tendinopathy and bursopathy, I’ve been told to stop all exercise. The weird thing is I never had any pain during or after running, and only when stretching my right leg during stretches or yoga, or when sitting for longs periods of time (excruciating). The past three weeks have been hard and having to give up BOTH my favorite activities, I’ve been told not even swimming was in order for now. My question to you is, I understand you never returned to yoga, but how soon did you return to running? Also while I miss stretching and yoga a LOT as it made me feel better, I can give up on it, but one thing I really don’t want to let go is my handstand training. I’ve been working on my handstands (kicking up one leg at a time), I broke down and did that for an hour and a half yesterday and it did me a world of good. Do you think I can practice handstands without damaging my tendons? I don’t know how to press but a friend has showed me how to practice with a wall (so there’s no jump/kick), do you think I can practice on this while I am healing or is that even too much strain on the hamstring tendon? What about tuck jumps? I am going through a breakup right now and this would help me go through it. Doctors are not really knowledgeable about handstanding and can’t really tell me, it seems so crazy to them I don’t think they’d be in favor but more as a prejudice than from actual medical reasons. What do you think?

  46. Thank you, thank you, thank you!! This post is a life saver for me. I’m a competitive gymnast and have had “butt pain” in the past. The first time it happened in December of last year I had to take a month and a half off from my training. I went to the doctor and multiple chiropractors, and nothing that they did helped at all. I just sort of waited it out, but that took way longer than I wanted it too. Still, I didn’t fully recover until a few months ago, and by the time I felt I could get back to stretching I had lost nearly all of my flexibility.

    Yesterday, after stretching my over-split, I began to notice the same pain in my hip area. I got really freaked out since, of course, I wasn’t about to skip the first half of competition season again. I researched solutions for what I thought might have been causing the pain (over-stretching, pulled hamstring), and I finally came across this post. The second I saw the title, I thought to my self, “you’ve got to be kidding me, this is exactly it!”. For months when I had the injury last, I could never find anything that resembled even a little bit what I was feeling, so I was pretty shocked to find this post within the first 20 minutes of looking. I tried the exercises right away and immediately felt relief. A single day later, I somehow feel almost back to normal after doing all of the workouts at least 20 times each throughout the day. Of course, I won’t be stretching again any time soon, but I will continue to try to strengthen my muscles so it doesn’t happen again. Thank you SO much <3

  47. Hi Caroline

    Thanks for the post, I’m going to give this a go and hope it works.

    One point I’m not sure on is how many times a day would you suggest the exercises are completed, once only? Twice?

    Kind regards

    Anil

  48. Hi Caroline, I am 8 weeks post spinal fusion and have HHT in both sides I started physio 3 weeks ago and my physio suggested my severe pain was my hamstrings, so I started researching and found your site, I,ve started some of your exercises that are within my limits considering my history of 3 spinal surgeries in the 14 months. I certainly am finding some relief even in this early stage. I will continue with my personal physiotherapist, and certainly include your exercises which have given me renewed hope after reading many of the posts..

    1. Hi Mia! Im so happy to hear that the video has helped you! Thats great news! Im so sorry about everything you are going through but I am here to help you heal in whatever way I can. Exciting news – I am working on a HHT exercise program to help people make progress beyond the video. Its such a solid training regimen! Ill be sharing it within the next month – stay tuned and get ready for more exercises to help you feel better 🙂

  49. I have always exercised. I had hip repair surgery in August. All medical personal said, stretch, stretch, stretch, yoga, yoga, yoga. I did and within 2 months I couldn’t walk from high hamstring pain on both sides. I kept stretching and ended up not being able to walk. I felt like I was tearing something every time I stretched. Upon waking, I either crawled or actually rolled to the bathroom. I quit doing PT and researched until I found you. I have done your hamstring video for 3 days, 3 times. I can walk!!! I no longer crawl or “roll” to the bathroom. I can’t begin to thank you enough. To have your simple exercises work so quickly is a miracle. My family also thanks you! I know I still have a while before I am pain free ‘butt’ I am thrilled.+

  50. Dear Caroline, thank god ive found your site. I used to be a runner but stopped because of a severe ankle injury. Osteo condroitis dessicans. Anyway I then too up yoga 3 or 4 times a week and wow was I flexible and did I love that stretch – until as you say, that spasm in the butt and then subsequent tendinitis stopped me. I’ve been suffering now for 2 and a half years but since I found your video on you tube I’ve done the exercises religiously every day and although I still can’t sit down on my sit bones I have hope and i feel I’m building more strength. I also wonder if post menopause has something to do with the slow healing??i have to say our physical therapists and doctors are rubbish. They just want to inject the butt but hopefully I can show healing before that happens. Thank you so much Caroline. Your site and comments have made me feel so much less isolated as nobody around me understands why I have to stand when we go out for a coffee or meal!!! Lynne xx

  51. Hi Caroline, I have been running and practicing hot yoga for several years. About 2 months ago I was doing a seated wide leg forward fold in my hot yoga class and went to reach for my block with my left hand and felt a popping sound in my right upper hamstring and butt area. I have been experiencing butt hamstring pain ever since yet continued to run and do hot yoga classes in spite of the pain. I found your amazing website and I am really determined to follow your exercises and get rid of this pain in my right butt. Do you think that I tore my upper hamstring or just strained it? I would really appreciate any feedback you can give me so that I can heal and feel better.

    Thank you. Catherine

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