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Hamstring Injuries

Date:
By Tommy

Hamstring Injuries

Hamstings are the large muscle group that run down the back of your thigh and are made up of 3 muscles: Biceps Femoris, Semitendinosis, and Semimembranosis.

 

HS

 

They have 3 main functions which include bending the knee, extending the hip, and controlling knee extension.

We typically strain our hamstings in one of two ways:

1.) During an explosive activity like running or jumping;

or

2.) Over-stretching when kicking a ball or forced into extreme hip flexion with your knee extended.

If injured during an explosive activity, it is most likely the biceps femoris that is strained or torn. The severity and length of recovery can depend on the location of the injury. A simple rule of thumb is the higher up or closer to your glutes the strain is, the longer it will take to get better. If injured when over-stretching, the muscle that is most likely injured is the semitendinosis and these injuries seem to take longer to heal as well. A low grade strain close to the knee can take as little as 2 weeks until you can return to your normal activities, while a severe strain close to your glute can take up to 3 months.

On average in a sporting club such as rugby league, rugby union, soccer, or AFL there is a 1 in 5 chance of an athlete straining their hamstring in the upcoming season. To reduce this risk of injury one thing we look at is hamstrings to quadriceps ratio. This ratio at a bare mininmum for a running sport should be above 60%. What this means is if you can produce 100kgs of force with your quads you should be able to at a bare minimum produce 60kgs of force with your hamsting. The faster and more explosive your sport, the closer this ratio should be.

You want to avoid the "Quadrant of doom" which is short and weak. Think long and strong to reduce your risk of injury.

QoD

Next week I will post some information about some good stretches and strengthening exercises for your hamstrings.