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229. What if Your Tightness is Trying to Protect You?
That tight hamstring you've been stretching might be your nervous system asking for something else entirely.
When pain shows up in one place, the source is often somewhere else. Dr. Andrew Fix walks through a real patient case from Physio Room where a woman who was experiencing persistent pain in her hamstring had been doing what most people do: stretching it out and hoping mobility work would eventually help. The sciatic nerve originates from the lowest nerve roots of the lumbar spine, and when those roots get irritated, the nerve signals the hamstring to hold protective tension. What feels like tightness is the nervous system protecting itself. Stretching works against that response.
In many cases like this one, the root cause is a lack of spinal stability. Without adequate muscular control around the pelvis and lumbar spine, gravity loads the vertebral joints and compresses the nerve roots every time you sit or stand. Dr. Fix explains how positional testing revealed exactly this pattern: her hamstring tested pain-free lying down but reproduced symptoms seated. When she was cued to engage her deep core before repeating the painful test, symptoms dropped roughly 70% without a single hands-on intervention. The muscle was the same. The spinal load was not.
How often are people chasing mobility and flexibility when the real missing ingredient is stability and control? Dr. Fix makes the case for thorough assessment before any treatment begins, and offers a clear signal to watch for: if a practitioner skips the diagnostic work and goes straight to treating what you describe, it is worth getting a second opinion.
Quotes
Links
SideKick Tool
Movemate: Award-Winning Active Standing Board
15% off Promo Code: DRA15
RAD Roller
Revogreen
HYDRAGUN
Athletic Brewing
20% off: ANDREWF20
Connect with Physio Room:
Visit the Physio Room Website
Follow Physio Room on Instagram
Follow Physio Room on Facebook
Andrew’s Personal Instagram
Andrew’s Personal Facebook
Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm
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By Dr. Andrew FixThat tight hamstring you've been stretching might be your nervous system asking for something else entirely.
When pain shows up in one place, the source is often somewhere else. Dr. Andrew Fix walks through a real patient case from Physio Room where a woman who was experiencing persistent pain in her hamstring had been doing what most people do: stretching it out and hoping mobility work would eventually help. The sciatic nerve originates from the lowest nerve roots of the lumbar spine, and when those roots get irritated, the nerve signals the hamstring to hold protective tension. What feels like tightness is the nervous system protecting itself. Stretching works against that response.
In many cases like this one, the root cause is a lack of spinal stability. Without adequate muscular control around the pelvis and lumbar spine, gravity loads the vertebral joints and compresses the nerve roots every time you sit or stand. Dr. Fix explains how positional testing revealed exactly this pattern: her hamstring tested pain-free lying down but reproduced symptoms seated. When she was cued to engage her deep core before repeating the painful test, symptoms dropped roughly 70% without a single hands-on intervention. The muscle was the same. The spinal load was not.
How often are people chasing mobility and flexibility when the real missing ingredient is stability and control? Dr. Fix makes the case for thorough assessment before any treatment begins, and offers a clear signal to watch for: if a practitioner skips the diagnostic work and goes straight to treating what you describe, it is worth getting a second opinion.
Quotes
Links
SideKick Tool
Movemate: Award-Winning Active Standing Board
15% off Promo Code: DRA15
RAD Roller
Revogreen
HYDRAGUN
Athletic Brewing
20% off: ANDREWF20
Connect with Physio Room:
Visit the Physio Room Website
Follow Physio Room on Instagram
Follow Physio Room on Facebook
Andrew’s Personal Instagram
Andrew’s Personal Facebook
Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm