Your hamstring, the muscle at the back of your thigh, has started aching, and walking now feels different. You might notice it with longer strides, going uphill or after sitting for a while. For most hamstring pain, walking is still a helpful way to stay active, with a few changes to your stride and route.

Why walking can affect your hamstring

Your hamstrings work with every step, slowing your leg as it swings forward and helping push you on. Longer strides and brisk walking ask more of them. Uphill walking works them harder too.

Some people notice pain deep in the buttock, near the sitting bone, where the hamstrings attach. This kind of pain often builds gradually and can be made worse by long walks, hills and sitting for long spells. Other people notice pain further down the back of the thigh.

In most cases, the area is irritated rather than damaged.

Shorter strides

Shortening your stride can ease the load on your hamstring a lot. Something to try:

• Take smaller steps, landing your foot closer to under your body.
• Keep a steady, comfortable pace rather than a brisk one.
• Notice whether your hamstring feels easier, and keep this stride for now.

Flatter routes

Flat, even paths are often easier than hills. Uphill walking works the hamstrings and glutes harder, and steep downhills can be uncomfortable too. Saving hills for later, as your hamstring settles, tends to help.

Finding a comfortable distance

Some ideas:

• Start with shorter walks than usual, and see how your hamstring feels afterwards.
• Split a longer walk into two or three shorter ones across the day.
• Use the next-morning check. If it is sorer the next morning, make your next walk a little shorter.

If the pain is near your sitting bone

Pain near the sitting bone can be made worse by sitting, especially on hard chairs or with your legs crossed. Some ideas:

• Sit on a cushion, or on a chair with a softer seat.
• Get up and move every 30 minutes or so.
• Avoid deep hamstring stretches for now, as these can press on the tendon where it attaches.

VIDA’s Pomodoro stretches, in the top right corner, can remind you to get up during focused work.

Gradual strengthening

Strengthening the hamstrings tends to help more than stretching them. Something to try a few times a week:

• Bridges. Lie on your back with your knees bent, lift your hips, then lower slowly.
• Bridge holds. Hold the top of a bridge for 20 to 30 seconds, then lower.
• Hamstring bridges. Move your feet a little further from your bottom, then lift your hips.
• Sit to stand. Rise from a chair without using your hands, then lower slowly.

If you would like to follow along, VIDA has short videos of bridges and sit to stands you can use at your own pace.

Start with what feels comfortable and build up gradually. Some mild discomfort is fine, as long as it settles by the next day.

Mixing in other activity

On days when your hamstring needs a lighter load, cycling or swimming can keep you active. Cycling with your saddle a little higher, so your knee does not bend as much at the top, can feel more comfortable if the pain is near your sitting bone.

Warming up

A few minutes of slow walking before you pick up your pace can help your hamstring feel ready. Gentle leg swings, holding onto something, can help too.

When to get it checked

You should get it checked by a GP or physiotherapist if you felt a sudden sharp pain or a pop at the back of your thigh, especially if bruising appears afterwards, or if you cannot walk normally.

Building back your stride

As your hamstring settles, you can gradually bring back longer strides, a brisker pace and hills, one at a time. If your pain has been around for a while, especially near the sitting bone, this usually happens over months rather than weeks. Your VIDA pain check-in is a good way to keep track of how your hamstring responds.

What to take away

• Long strides, brisk pace and hills ask the most of a sore hamstring.
• Take shorter steps and choose flatter routes for now.
• If pain is near your sitting bone, use a cushion and avoid deep stretches.
• Strengthening tends to help more than stretching.
• Get a sudden pull with bruising checked.

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