Hamstring strains are common sport & fitness related injury. Many of these injuries are caused by the quadricep muscle forcibly overstretching the hamstring, often the result of high speed running, the risk of hamstring injuries can be minimised. Read more to better understand hamstring injury prevention.
Hamstring Injury Prevention – The hamstring is a muscle located at the back of the thigh. It is made up of 3 muscles; semimembranosus, semi tendinosis and biceps femoris.
One of the most common injuries in sport is the hamstring strain, specifically a strain to the biceps femoris muscle. A major cause of hamstring injuries originates from the quadriceps muscle forcibly overstretching the hamstring. This commonly occurs during high speed running.
A 2016 study looked at the effect of high speed running on hamstring strain injury risk within the Australian Football league (AFL). It concluded that large increases in high speed running distance increases the chance of hamstring injury.
Conversely, alternate evidence link a positive relationship between increased training distance and intensity, and improved performance. Thus, this creates a conundrum regarding a potential trade-off between physical performance and injury prevention.
The study provides a solution to this conundrum through the following guidelines:
- Gradual increases in each individual player’s training intensity/frequency.
- A 4-week training cycle consisting of 3 weeks’ higher frequency/intensity, followed by 1 week of reduced frequency/intensity.
Therefore, the study suggests a fine balance between training load restriction to prevent hamstring injury, and increasing training loads to physically prepare players for competition.
Reference: Duhig, Steven et al. “Effect Of High-Speed Running On Hamstring Strain Injury Risk”. British Journal of Sports Medicine 50.24 (2016): 1536-1540.