Are you experiencing a combination of lower back pain, knee pain, and tight hamstrings at the same time? You may think all you need is a good stretch to shake the pain, or a massage to make things all better. If that doesn’t work then you should read on. Let’s explore the relationship that all three aches have in common with each other? I like to call this system a motor unit. The lower extremity motor unit is also called the kinetic chain. What affects the foot can affect all the way up to your trunk flexors iliacus and iliopsoas. Tight hamstrings are a common complaint, then again knee pain is as well. How many people have low back pain as their main complaint. I want to tie these all together and explain their significance.

This idea relates that the entire leg beginning with your lower trunk muscles to your foot are considered a motor unit or kinetic chain. One long system that is very much related to many aches and pains you might have from the waist down. It is so important to look at the system as a whole to allow for proper treatment. The mechanics of moving your leg involves muscles, tendons, ligaments, nerves, arteries, and veins all working together in a coordinated fashion to allow freedom of movement without pain. If one area is affected it can easily affect another part of the motor unit. If the pelvis is not stable there can be extra forces placed on the ischial tuberosity. The semimembranosus and semitendinosus and biceps femoris all attach to the pelvis at the ischial tuberosity.  these muscles are what make up your hamstrings and they attach at the knee. I hope you can see the connection.

So much low back pain can be explained as mechanical failure somewhere in the lower motor unit often referred to as the lower extremities. Excessive supination of the feet can be a reason for low back pain even though the low back and foot are about 3 feet apart in most adults. It is wise to have every inch of your lower extremity evaluated when you have low back issues. In many cases, bad knee pain can arise if the pelvis is not supporting the lumbar spine. The job of supporting your back falls on every aspect of the motor unit. When one area fails the next weakest part is next, and that is usually the hamstrings.

You run to your doctor, well maybe you hobble to your doctor with severe lower back pain. She orders an MRI. The MRI comes back with a herniated disc in your lumbar spine, alas the problem is identified. So you get set up to see a physical therapist to treat your bulging disc. Heaven forbid a medical doctor referring you to a chiropractor! So you get physical therapy for your bad disc, but your lower back pain doesn’t really go away. Now what? The relationship between your back and pelvis may need to be addressed. You have to look all the way down the kinetic chain to the foot. A good chiropractor will do this Your tight hamstrings could be from a subluxated pelvis. The pelvis is the foundation for the lumbar spine, if it is not structurally sound you won’t be able to fully address the herniated disc.

The biceps femoris and the semimembranosus and semitendinosus all attach at the pelvis at the ischial tuberosity the semimembranosus and semitendinosus go to the inside of your knee and the biceps femoris go to the outside part of your knee. By the way, these muscles semi m and semi t and biceps femoris are your hamstrings. So doesn’t it make some sense that you can have back pain along with tight hamstrings and knee pain? I mentioned the foot earlier, but I hope you get the bigger picture here. Consider the mechanical wonder your body truly is and look for problems that can arise where there is no pain.