JUST WHAT DO THE HAMSTRING DO? AND HOW CAN YOU LOOK AFTER YOURS?

Following on from Dina Asher-Smith’s ongoing hamstring strain and her withdrawal from Tokyo 2020, we thought it would be beneficial to discuss the role of the hamstrings and how they are commonly stressed challenged and injured.

Physiotherapists, sports rehabilitators and athletes all talk about hamstrings whether they are “tight”, weak or injured.

WHAT ARE THE HAMSTRINGS?

Hamstrings are a group of muscles at the rear of the upper thigh. All the hamstrings originate from the buttocks region traveling towards the knee. The semimembranosus and semitendinosus are on the inside of the leg attaching close to the knee and the biceps-femoris the longest hamstring attaches to the outer part of the knee.

They all flex and bend the knee, with biceps femoris extending the hip and externally rotate the tibia whilst the semimem’ and semiten’ internally rotate the tibia. At Optimum we can assess the hamstrings to discover if they need more length or strength

WHAT DO THE HAMSTRINGS DO?

The hamstrings provide propulsion when running, the drive at the bottom of a pedaling motion on a bike and protect the ACL when turning and twisting and decelerating.

Hamstrings are often injured when sprinting; when the hip is fully flexed and the knee is extended out in front; at this point it is vital to have strong eccentric control to reduce the risk of injury.

HOW TO STRENGTHEN THE HAMSTRINGS

Eccentric hamstring work is vital at the hip origin and at the knee attachment to minimise the hamstring injury risk.

Here at Optimum our team of therapists at our Sports Injury Clinic can show and demonstrate what is needed to do to minimise your hamstring injury risk. 

Book your session to assess your hamstrings strength, length and muscular capacity.

An example of eccentric strength exercise - the Nordic hamstring curls.