10 tips to prevent this frustrating injury
Now!
Stop Hamstring Pulls 10 tips to prevent this frustrating injury BY KIM GOSS, MS t the Olympic Trials in track and field, an athlete must finish in the top three in their event to earn a spot on the Olympic Team – finishing fourth is essentially equivalent to placing last. At this level, these elite athletes have proven their superiority, but no matter how prepared they are, an injury to their hamstrings can instantly destroy their chance to compete. In the 200-meter finals of the 2000 Olympic Trials, this is exactly what happened to two athletes who had been expected to battle for Olympic gold.
One of these athletes was Michael Johnson, the current world record holder and defending Olympic champion in the event. The other was Maurice Greene, then-holder of the world record in the 100 meters. In the finals of the 200 meters the unthinkable happened when Johnson pulled his left hamstring in the curve and Greene did the same just coming out of the curve. The only consolation was that Johnson had already qualified in the 400 and Greene in the 100, and at the Games both earned Olympic gold. Could these hamstring injuries have been prevented? We’ll never know, and consider that athletes at this level usually have access to sound sports medicine care.
But we do know that hamstring injuries are often difficult to heal – some never heal completely – Aand often inhibit athletes from going all out in training and competition. Case in point: A 2010 study published in the Journal of Orthopaedic and Sports Physical Therapy found that although most athletes can return to sports within three to four weeks after a hamstring injury, about a third of them will reinjure their hamstrings within a year. On the positive side, we also know there are risk factors associated with hamstring injuries. Here are 10 of those risk factors, along with advice on dealing with them: 1. Improper running mechanics.
A popular joke in athletics is that to be a good track coach the only thing you have to do is stand in the middle of the track and shout, “Run faster, turn left, run faster, turn left…! Of course it’s not that simple. Being able to design appropriate workouts is important, and equally important is being able to teach athletes how to run. To get you started on learning good sprint mechanics, learn the BFS 6 Absolutes and read the section on running in the book Bigger Faster Stronger. A great print resource on running mechanics is Running: Biomechanics and Exercise Physiology in Practice by Frans Bosch and Ronald Klomp (Churchill Livingston, 2005).
It’s 424 pages of heavy reading, but it also comes with an excellent DVD that shows how to put the information into practice.
2. Inadequate warm-up and cooldown. Improperly designed workouts can cause hamstring injuries. Sprinters need a proper warm-up to prepare the muscles and nervous system for sprinting. Dynamic stretching is especially effective before sprinting for this purpose. Also, it’s important to cool down after a sprinting session, such as by slow walking, and then to stretch. After sprinting, muscles still carry a high level of tension, and a series of static stretches for the quads, hamstrings and glutes is especially important. To learn more about dynamic and static stretching, consult the BFS Flexibility Manual. 3. Not developing all functions of the hamstrings.
The hamstrings have several functions, the two primary ones being to flex the knee and extend the hip; the glute-ham exercise is effective for developing both. For knee flexion, leg curls are the auxiliary exercise of choice; for hip flexion, excellent exercises are reverse hypers and the standing hip extension exercises on machines designed for this purpose. However, also consider that the medial hamstrings (semitendinosus and semimembranosus) rotate the foot inward and that the lateral hamstrings (biceps femoris) rotate the foot outward.
A coach needs to understand that if an athlete turns their feet excessively outward or inward during running, MAY/JUNE 2013 The deadlift is a great exercise for the hamstrings. One of the best deadlifters of all time was Vince Anello. Anello had great leverages for the lift and was the first man to deadlift 800 pounds while weighing less than 200 pounds.
TRAINING & EQUIPMENT 3KRWR%UXFH.OHPHQV Although he didn’t take up weight training until the age of 28, Great Britain’s Ron Collins went on to win six world championships (197377, 79). Powerlifters often carry the bar low on their shoulders and lean forward, which increases the work of the glutes and lower back. this could indicate a weakness in either the medial or lateral hamstrings. For example, running with the feet turned excessively outward may indicate a weakness in the medial hamstrings. Good auxiliary exercises to correct this are leg curls with the toes turned inward. 4. Poor squat form. Squats are an effective way to develop the hamstrings, but they must be performed properly.
According to Canadian strength coach and Posturologist Paul Gagné, a powerlifting squat tends to place more work on the glutes and lower back; in this type of squat the barbell is held low on the shoulders and the athlete leans well forward. In contrast, Gagné says, MAY/JUNE 2013 holding the bar high on the shoulders and squatting all the way down, as an Olympic weightlifter would do, places more stress on the quads and works the hamstrings through a greater range of motion. Gagné says that squat depth also influences hamstring involvement, such that an athlete who does not squat low enough should supplement their training with additional hamstring exercises, such as leg curls. 5.
Poor program Leg curls work the knee flexion function of the hamstrings, while standing hip extensions work the hip extension function of the hamstrings. Both are great auxiliary exercises. design. Don’t rely just on squats to develop the in the 10-12 range for leg curls may be hamstrings. For example, deadlifts work a muscle lengthens while producing tiring, but a better repetition protocol tension, such as when lowering the the same muscles as squats do, with the barbell to the chest during a bench press. would be 4-6. exception of the biceps femoris. One 9. Excessive scar tissue.
Scar tissue According to Bryan Heiderscheit, PhD, difference is that the range of motion when an athlete’s speed and stride length in the hamstrings is associated with for the quads is reduced in the deadlift. excess muscle tightness that can result increases as they sprint, the eccentric BFS prefers the hex bar deadlift, as it in hamstring injury. Dealing with the load on the hamstrings also increases.
involves the quads more and places less scar tissue with soft-tissue techniques Heiderscheit, an associate profescompressive forces on the spine, but such as Active Release Techniques sor in the University of Wisconsin’s the hex bar deadlift will still give the Treatment® can help restore normal Department of Orthopedics and hamstrings a good workout. Rehabilitation, has done extensive stud6. Improper hamstring-to-quad muscle function in the hamstrings. Of ies on hamstring injuries. Heiderscheit’s ratio.
The standard recommendation course, athletes also should perform research has found that the point at by physical therapists is that an athlete a regular stretching program to help should have a hamstrings-to-quadriceps which a hamstring injury is likely to reduce excessive muscle tightness. occur, and where the highest stress ratio of 66 percent, which means the 10. Excessive use of NSAIDS. occurs, is just before the lead foot touch- Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs hamstrings can produce 66 percent of es the ground. From a practical perspecthe force of the quadriceps.
However, (NSAIDs) are often used after hamtive, this means that athletes should the current thinking is that this gap string injuries. However, improper use frequently prolong the lowering portion is much narrower for such athletes of NSAIDs can interfere with the healof exercises involving the hamstrings. For ing of the tissues. Use NSAIDS only as sprinters and running backs.
One example, during the lower phase of a leg simple test to determine if an athlete’s according to the advice of an approcurl or after the front foot lands during hamstring strength is proportionate priate health care practitioner, and a lunge, an athlete could prolong the to their quadriceps is to compare their consider using natural methods such as front squat to their back squat. An opti- lowering phase to 5-8 seconds. ice to deal with inflammation, as well as 8. Inappropriate repetition mal ratio is 85 percent front squat to omega 3 fish oil and probiotics. protocols.
The biceps femoris, which back squat, such that if an athlete back There are many other possible squats 200 pounds, they should be able is the most injured hamstring muscle, causes of hamstring injuries, but followconsists primarily of fast-twitch fibers. to front squat 170. ing these recommendations will go a These fibers respond better to lower 7. Lack of eccentric strength. long way in helping athletes stay strong, reps and heavier weights. Using reps An eccentric contraction occurs when fast and injury free!
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From BFS Magazine — May/June 2013. Part of the BFS Magazine Archive (1980–2014).
