Numb lover leg when stretching hamstrings

[Harry Munro]

Lets say I do a seated hamstring stretch with legs straight and reaching towards toes, my lower legs and feet go numb, more prominent in the right leg. If I bend my knees slightly and do the same stretch the problem is tolerable. It's a very uncomfortable pins and needles feeling.

What is this?
Is it something I can fix?

Thanks in advance.

[Gary Ohm]

Harry I don't know what to tell you, and I really hope someone can give some advice. But let me be the first to say that the typo in your title here is absolutely AWESOME!!! "Numb lover leg when stretching hamstrings" My first thought was "holy crap!! how the heck is that happening?..."

[Harry Munro]

Just for the record my lover leg is doing just fine!

[Steven Low]

Tight musculature, and tight nerves will impinge each other and give numbness.

1. Roll out your plantar fascia,
2. stretch your calves aggressively,
3. keep on stretching the hammies,
4. stretch out the glutes/deep glutes with piriformis stretches

ALl the posterior chain fascia is connected, so it will all help.

[Harry Munro]

Thanks Steve, the piriformis stretches are something thats been distinctly lacking since the beginning of time.

[Nicholas Wyss]

On this same subject:

I have been doing a straddle stretch trying to increase my ROM. Last night when I did it I felt a little tingling/numbness in my lower leg, so that when I finished my inner shin and the inner top part of my foot were numb. The more alarming part is that they are still numb right now, 12 hours later. Has anyone ever experienced this before?

[Steven Low]

Likely stretched out your tibial nerve a bit too much. Probably severed some of the cutaneous fibers to the area.

As long as you have motor innervation to your muscles you're fine.

Cutaneous nerves aren't really critical ('cept for sensation), and they will grow back... rate of approximately 1mm per month. Likely the gap you made isn't that big though so should be back in a couple weeks max.

[Nicholas Wyss]

Good to know the feeling will eventually come back. It's kind of cool though having the leg all numb like that, since it doesn't bother my walking or anything. Thanks for the advice.

[Steven Low]

Originally Posted by Nicholas Wyss

Good to know the feeling will eventually come back. It's kind of cool though having the leg all numb like that, since it doesn't bother my walking or anything. Thanks for the advice.

Yeah, just make sure you don't go crazy with athletic activity,. Since your cutaneous nerves aren't providing good afferent feedback to your brain your proprioception will drop and it's easier to injury yourself with sprained ankles and such while you are devoid of feeling.