Hamstrings

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Your Hamstring muscles could be the cause!!

 

Recurrent hamstring strains are one of the most common running injuries.  Because it doesn’t hurt at present, doesn’t mean there are no problems.

 

The hamstrings work strongly to slow the forward swing of the leg, before your foot hits the ground, and pulls the leg backwards when the opposite leg swings through.  The hamstrings need to be able to absorb four times your body weight in vertical forces when running.

 

Problem free running and walking cannot take place if the hamstring muscles are weak, inflexible or not activating properly.

 

Common causes of hamstring injuries include:

 

• Muscle and skeleton imbalances.
• Poor footwear, excessive mileage, poor stretching.
• Fatigue- not enough recovery time.
• Incomplete rehabilitation.
• Repeated micro-trauma.

Recovery from hamstring strains usually takes 3-6 weeks.

 

Why Knee Pain??

 

The hamstrings attach around the knee joint and can pull the joint off centre and also refer pain into the knee joint.  Ask your coach for some hamstring exercises if you have a problem that won’t go away.