Hamstring wall stretch
Hamstring wall stretch
- Lie on your back in a doorway, with your good leg through the open door.
- Slide your affected leg up the wall to straighten your knee. You should feel a gentle stretch down the back of your leg.
- Do not arch your back.
- Do not bend either knee.
- Keep one heel touching the floor and the other heel touching the wall. Do not point your toes.
- Hold the stretch for at least 1 minute to begin. Then over time, try to lengthen the time you hold the stretch to as long as 6 minutes.
- Repeat 2 to 4 times.
- If you do not have a place to do this exercise in a doorway, there is another way to do it:
- Lie on your back, and bend the knee of your affected leg.
- Loop a towel under the ball and toes of that foot, and hold the ends of the towel in your hands.
- Straighten your knee, and slowly pull back on the towel. You should feel a gentle stretch down the back of your leg.
- Hold the stretch for 15 to 30 seconds. Or even better, hold the stretch for 1 minute if you can.
- Repeat 2 to 4 times.
Current as of: May 1, 2026
Author: WebMD Ignite Staff
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