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HWN Suggests

How to Loosen Up Your Hamstrings

The sight of a hamstring muscle pull is pretty universal, the individual appears to have been shot in the back of the thigh. You have probably seen or can picture this sniper causing an athlete to pull up suddenly or even fall to the ground.

While an Achilles tendon rupture is similar picture, the hamstring is much more painful and unfortunately more common (12% of lower body injuries in sport) than its cousin...

Contrary to common belief, the injury is rarely from inflexibility. Certainly static flexibility tests like touching your toes are a poor indicator, as these assessments are not specific to your sport and can easily be compensated by areas other than your hamstrings.…

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Featured

 Hamstring Knee Pain: Everything You Need to Know to Manage Your Pain

Having a hamstring injury will fit into one of three levels depending on how bad you pull it. We break down each below to help you identify where your pain fits in. 1. Mild Strain: The first level, known as the mild strain (hamstring tendon strain), is going to be the least amount of strain on your hamstring. This type of hamstring knee pain will stop a patient from sprinting or jogging but will allow them to continue walking. You may certainly still experience pain in the back of your thigh for a 7-14 days, but it should not limit your range of motion or ability to complete your daily activities.

Articles of Interest

One Injured Hamstring, a String of Treatments

Most of the time, there is no inflammation. Instead there is degeneration of the tendon. So why are we using ice and anti-inflammatory drugs like ibuprofen, and why are some doctors giving us cortisone injections?

Avoiding The Sniper Shot: Hamstring Pulls

The sight of a hamstring muscle pull is pretty universal, the individual appears to have been shot in the back of the thigh. You have probably seen or can picture this sniper causing an athlete to pull up suddenly or even fall to the ground.

Hamstring Injuries in the Athlete: Diagnosis, Treatment, and Return to Play

Hamstring injuries are one of the most common injuries in athletes. Injuries can range from acute hamstring muscle strains and ruptures to chronic proximal hamstring tendinopathy. Acute hamstring strains are the most common muscle strain, have high rates of recurrence and can lead to prolonged absence from sports.

Hamstring Injury – Do You Know the Odds and Can You Beat Them?

Hamstrings are a sprinters “bogey” muscle – the one that seems to get injured the most.

Hamstring Strains: Classification and Management

The hamstring muscle complex (HMC) includes the semimembranosus, semitendinosus, and biceps femoris (BF) short and long heads, all of which act to extend the hip and flex the knee. A primary function of the HMC is deceleration of the lower limb via eccentric contraction during running and kicking movements, placing the muscles under high strain while at high stretch. Accordingly, most hamstring strain injuries (HSIs) are “sprint-type,” occurring during high-speed running.

Recurrent Hamstring Injury...

Hamstring injuries are common at all levels of sport, however recurrence rates are disproportionate compared to other soft tissue injuries. Age and previous injury are supported in the literature as risk factors for hamstring injury; nonetheless, debate exists regarding modifiable risk factors.

Rest alone will not solve hamstring pain

Hamstring pain or injury happens to many athletes during their career. Unfortunately, hamstring pain/strain if left alone will not go away.

Sports of The Times; The Dreaded Damaged Hamstring

More than ever, the hamstring has emerged as one of sports' most dreaded and crippling injuries. Also one of the most painful. Upon pulling or tearing a hamstring, sprinters have been known to crumple to the track. Sometimes the noise is such that nearby spectators think they heard a pistol shot.

Stretch Could Reduce Hamstring Injury Risk During Sprinting by Right Shifting the Length-Torque Curve

Because of stretch-induced muscle force and power deficit, the American College of Sports Medicine has suggested that static stretching during the warm-up period should be removed from sport activities that heavily relied on muscular strength and power.

The Athlete's Dynamite: Hamstring Injuries

The hamstring often brings us dazzling dunks, explosive runs, and other highlight plays, but it puts athletes on the sideline just as frequently.

Usain Bolt and Andre De Grasse: Hamstring injuries explained

The hamstring group of muscles are three muscles on the back of your thigh that play an important role in running. They function to control both your knee and hip during both the swing phase (when your foot is off of the ground) and the stance phase (when your foot is on the ground) of running and sprinting. Injuries occur when these three muscles undergo too much strain and they develop tears or they cramp up.

Resources

7 Exercises for Stronger Hamstrings

Flexible, strong hamstrings are happy hamstrings.

Aid Your Hamstring

The hamstring injury experts.

OrthoInfo

Hamstring strains occur more often in adolescents because bones and muscles do not grow at the same rate.