If the back of your thigh pulled or the front stiffened after exercise and bending or straightening the leg is now uncomfortable, NHS inform — the health information site of NHS 24 in Scotland — sets out 4 exercises for thigh muscle and joint problems: a lying stretch for the back of the thigh, a knee bend, a standing quad stretch and a standing hamstring stretch. Holds are 10, 2 and 20–30 seconds; build to at most 2 sets of 15; keep pain within 0 to 5 out of 10; get advice if not better within 6 weeks. The page is for new thigh problems; after a diagnosis or recent surgery, follow your clinician. Here it is as written, with the places where the video titles and instructions don’t match flagged.
1. Lying back-of-thigh stretch (up to 10 seconds), knee bend (2 seconds), standing quad and hamstring stretches (build to 20–30 seconds) — 4 exercises.
2. Stretches: 20–30 seconds, 2 to 3 sets, 2 to 3 times a day; movement and strength: at most 2 sets of 15.
3. Pain within 0 to 5; stop if worse or new pain; get advice if not better within 6 weeks.
First — NHS inform
| Type | What NHS inform says | Worth noting (ours) |
|---|---|---|
| Who for | May help people with a new thigh problem. If you have been diagnosed with a thigh condition or had recent thigh surgery, follow your healthcare professional’s advice. The video exercises suit most people | Diagnosis is for a clinician — don’t self-diagnose (ours) |
| Why | Getting movement and strength back matters — it supports tissue healing and gets you moving. You may not return to usual exercise levels at once and progress may be slow at first, but a gradual return to normal activities gives the best short- and long-term results | — |
| At first | Listen to your pain, especially early on. The exercises may increase symptoms slightly at first but should get easier, and regular practice can improve movement. If they cause discomfort, medication prescribed by a GP or pharmacist may help you keep exercising | In Korea, ask a doctor or pharmacist (ours) |
| Safety | Somewhere safe, only if you feel well enough. If you start to feel unwell, stop at once. First time? Read the pain and repetition guidance below first | — |
4 thigh exercises — NHS inform
| Exercise | What NHS inform says | Worth noting (ours) |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Lying leg extension stretch (0:21) | Stretches the back of the thigh. Lie on your back, lift one leg towards your chest and place your hands behind your knee. Gently pull the leg towards your chest — you should feel a stretch in the back of your sore thigh. Hold up to 10 seconds, then return the leg to the bed. One stretch is one repetition | — |
| 2. Lying knee bend (0:22) | Sitting on your sofa with your legs supported, bend your knee as far as comfort allows; a small stretch with your hands can help. Hold 2 seconds, return. Bending and straightening is one repetition | The title says “lying”, the text says sitting on a sofa — kept as written (our reading) |
| 3. Standing quad stretch (0:16) | Stand holding a support with one hand. Lift and bend your knee, pulling the ankle towards your bottom — a stretch at the front of the thigh. Gradually build the hold to 20 or 30 seconds for the most benefit. Lifting and bending is one repetition | — |
| 4. Standing hamstring stretch complete (0:28) | Standing, move one leg straight out in front; you can rest your heel on a chair for more stretch. Gently bend the other leg to feel a stretch at the back of the thigh. Hold a few seconds, bring the leg back down. Gradually build the hold to 20 or 30 seconds | Use a heavy chair that won’t slide (ours) |
The English names and lengths are the video titles as given. All 4 videos run 1 min 27 s together (our sum). The source adds “hold onto something sturdy such as a heavy chair or your kitchen worksurface” to all four, including the lying and sitting ones (1 and 2); we read it as meant for the standing stretches 3 and 4 (our reading).
How much pain is OK — NHS inform
| Type | What NHS inform says | Worth noting (ours) |
|---|---|---|
| Pain score | Rate pain out of 10 (0 = none, 10 = the worst you have ever had). 0 to 3 minimal, 4 to 5 acceptable, 6 to 10 excessive | — |
| During | Keep pain within 0 to 5. If it goes above — fewer repetitions, slower movement, more rest between movements | Changing just one of the three may do (our reading) |
| After | Exercise should not make your existing thigh pain worse overall. New exercises can cause short-term muscle pain as the body adapts, but it should ease quickly and be no worse the morning after | The next morning is the test |
How many and how often — NHS inform
| Type | What NHS inform says | Worth noting (ours) |
|---|---|---|
| Adding them | Add exercises to your routine gradually. Do them all together, or start with one or two and add more as you get comfortable | — |
| Start | For new exercises, 2 to 3 repetitions at a time. Small amounts through the day are better — for example every hour | — |
| Build | As it gets easier, and if you feel able, add 1 or 2 repetitions every few days | — |
| Sets | As repetitions grow, break them into sets — more at a time but less often; this builds strength. For example 8 repetitions → rest a minute → 8 more, 2 to 3 times a day | About 32 to 48 a day (8 × 2 sets × 2 to 3, our sum) |
| Ceiling | Repeating them strengthens muscles and tendons. Aim for a maximum of 2 sets of 15 | 30 at a time (our sum) |
The first line of the source’s “how many and how often” section says to add exercises gradually “to help your back pain”. It looks carried over from another page; we read it as the thigh (our reading).
Stretching — NHS inform
| Type | What NHS inform says | Worth noting (ours) |
|---|---|---|
| When | Some videos are labelled stretches. Once a short hold is comfortable, hold longer as a stretch — over time this can improve range of movement | — |
| Feel | A gentle stretch; it shouldn’t be sore or uncomfortable | — |
| Time and sets | Hold 20 to 30 seconds if possible. 2 to 3 sets, 2 to 3 times a day | About 40 to 90 seconds a session (20–30 s × 2–3 sets, our sum) |
| Progress | Your range of movement should improve and you’ll stretch further | — |
When to stop and get advice — NHS inform
| Type | What NHS inform says | Worth noting (ours) |
|---|---|---|
| Stop | Stop if they make symptoms worse or cause new pain | — |
| Advice | If your thigh pain worsens while following this advice, talk to a healthcare professional | In Korea, orthopaedics or rehabilitation medicine (ours) |
| 6 weeks | If it hasn’t improved within 6 weeks, talk to a healthcare professional | 6 weeks = 42 days (our sum) |
How to score pain is set out in our exercise pain scale page.
Checklist
- ☐ A new thigh problem? After a diagnosis or surgery, your clinician comes first
- ☐ Lying stretch: hands behind the knee, up to 10 seconds; knee bend: 2 seconds
- ☐ Standing stretches: hold something sturdy, build to 20–30 seconds
- ☐ Stretches 2 to 3 sets, 2 to 3 times a day; movement and strength at most 2 sets of 15
- ☐ Pain within 0 to 5; 6-week check
Questions that remain
What if I think I’ve torn a thigh muscle?
This page covers exercises only; it gives no tear symptoms or emergency criteria. Sudden severe pain or large bruising or swelling should be seen first (ours). Early care is in our soft tissue injury page.
Can I use these stretches before a run?
The page presents them as recovery exercises for thigh problems, not as a warm-up. For warming up, see warming up before exercise.
Sources
- NHS inform (NHS 24, Scotland) — Exercises for thigh problems — source (no update date shown; checked 3 November 2026). Who for, why, at first, safety; 4 video titles and lengths; 4 written instructions (with the “sturdy support” line); the 0 to 10 and 0 to 5 pain guide; pain after exercise; 2 to 3, hourly, 1 or 2 more every few days; the set example; at most 2 sets of 15; stretches 20 to 30 seconds, 2 to 3 sets, 2 to 3 times a day; when to stop; 6 weeks.
- Not read. The videos themselves, the thigh self-management page (link only), thigh condition pages.
- What we added. The “worth noting” column, our readings of the title/instruction mismatch and the “back pain” line, our sums (1 min 27 s, 32 to 48 a day, 30, 40 to 90 seconds, 42 days) and the Korean care gloss.
Where to check further
- Orthopaedics or rehabilitation medicine — if it’s no better after 6 weeks, or worse.
- Physiotherapy — adjusting stretch intensity and repetitions.
Written on 3 November 2026. The content is from NHS inform; the glosses are ours.
