Supine Left Hamstring Stretch with a Belt with Hip Adduction and Internal Rotation

  • The patient is lying supine and places a belt around the ball of the left foot.
  • Starting with the L knee flexed and with the left hip flexed to 90 degrees, instruct the patient to try to straighten the L knee as much as possible while maintaining dorsiflexion at the left ankle using the belt.
  • Then instruct the patient to keep the L knee as straight as possible as they bring the leg across the body into adduction and internal rotation to put an additional stretch on the sciatic nerve and lateral hamstrings.
  • The stretch is held for only 5 seconds and then released by bringing the left leg back to the midline while still maintaining a straight knee and dorsiflexion of the L ankle.
  • Instruct the patient to repeat this on/off stretch 10 times.
  • Then have the patient repeat on the right side.
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