Whoops, was that my hamstring?
So, you tweaked your hamstring? What even is it?
Your hamstring is a group of 3 long muscles at the back of your leg.
Biceps, Semitendinosus and semimembranosus.
You are not alone – it is one of the most common injuries in sports, which involve sprinting. But you don’t have to be involved in sport, you can get it sprinting for the bus!
Once again, our sedentary lifestyles predispose us to this injury. Sitting down shortens the lower reaches of these muscles, in particular.
If you walk, you use your hamstrings. If you go on a long walk, your legs may be sore at the back the next day. If you run you will put a lot of pressure on your hamstrings and lastly, if you sprint, your hamstrings will be at their most vulnerable just as you put your foot on the ground.
What can I do to prevent this?
Number one is flexibility. The other aspect is strength, most professionals will agree – not just pure strength but the relative balance between the large muscles on the front of your leg and the ones on the back of your leg.
The last thing to say is that if you have strained your hamstring in some way, you really need to get it seen to, because there is a huge co-relation between hurting your hamstring and hurting it again later.
This is particularly the case if you are tight, weak or unbalanced, as mentioned above.
So, get it sorted, it won’t sort itself.