Muscle testing is simple and fun. One of the first anatomy books that I bought almost twenty years ago Muscles: Testing and Function, with Posture and Pain by Florence Kendall, a classic in the field (and I thought it funny that pain went with it). I knew nothing at the time and a massage therapist, who worked at the front desk at OM Yoga Center, recommended it to me.
I promptly bought it and it was about five years before I looked at it and learned from it.
Moving to the present, for the last month or so I’ve had something of a hamstring obsession so yesterday I dusted off the book, and the family did some muscle testing.
As aware as I am about my body and its imbalances— holy cow was I surprised at the difference in strength between my right and left hamstrings.
Here is a simple wat to check the strength of your hamstrings though two people are required in order to do the test.
- The person being tested is lying on a table (or the floor) in a prone position with the legs extended straight out.
- The person helping puts one hand lightly on the right thigh just about the knee and then provides light resistance as the person being tested draws the heel towards the pelvis.
- Then the helper puts his hand behind the prone person’s heel and tries to push the foot and leg straight while receiving resistance from the bent leg.
Pay close attention to which side is stronger as it is likely to be noticeable. If this is in fact the case, you need to take this into consideration as you try to build a balanced body.
This is as simple as this test gets. There are three different hamstring muscles and by turning the foot and ankly in or out you can work to test all three muscles individually.