Pain in The Ass Is A Killer: Hamstrings and Yoga Butt

Pins and needles. Dull pain running the length of your hamstring. A sharp ache in your ass when you sit down. Clients come to me on the reg with complaints about pain in the ass. No, they’re not referring to me. While it’s common to think it’s Sciatica, which is no fucking joke, I’ve found it’s more often a case of yoga butt. Hamstring pain is a killer.

Yoga Schmoga. I haven’t been doing yoga.

But Julia, I don’t even DO yoga. Even if you don’t do yoga, you can overuse or strain the fascia and upper tissue of the hamstrings. The number one thing people do when they feel the pain in the ass is associate it with tight hamstrings, and they stretch MORE. Their ass hurts more, and they feel like they have tight hamstrings, and then, you guessed it, they stretch more. It’s a fucking open loop, as The Beard would say.

First thing first, stop stretching. I mean it. Stretching, particularly the ragdoll forward fold free hang which I fucking hate, will continue to aggravate the injury and prevents recovery. Take a few days off of training and work a little ice on, ice off therapy. Take a few friggin’ days off!

I highly recommend seeing a sports therapist to assess the full extent of the injury. Okay, I’ve cleared myself of liability. If the few days off ease the pain in your ass, it’s time to think about your workout and stretching routine.

Tight hips can aggravate or shift strain to your hamstrings. Tight or overused glutes can shift the stress to your hamstrings. Ignoring a good ol’ hamstring curl can lead to imbalance and cause, you guessed it, pain in your ass.

Sure, squats are the mana of all lower body workouts, but if you’re not giving your hamstrings some singular attention you can throw your shit all out of whack.

My prescription for showing the hamstrings and yoga butt some love involves some give and some take. It wouldn’t hurt to have a glass of wine before tackling some of my advice.