{"id":92015,"date":"2023-05-03T12:09:26","date_gmt":"2023-05-03T10:09:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/42krunning.com\/hamstring-tear-an-injury-to-fear\/"},"modified":"2023-05-03T12:09:26","modified_gmt":"2023-05-03T10:09:26","slug":"hamstring-tear-an-injury-to-fear","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/42krunning.com\/en\/hamstring-tear-an-injury-to-fear\/","title":{"rendered":"Hamstring tear: an injury to fear"},"content":{"rendered":"

All sports physiotherapists fear the damn hamstring tear. It\u2019s the most common injury in impact sports<\/strong> and the kind of injury that, if it doesn\u2019t heal properly, leads to constant recurrences that can keep runners sidelined for a long time and can even force an early \u201cretirement\u201d from sport. <\/p>\n

This happens not only because it isn\u2019t a muscle tear like any other, but also because of how important the hamstrings are to running mechanics in any sport that involves foot strike and movement, as in running and especially trail running.<\/p>\n

A hamstring tear is one of those injuries you need to fear, and therefore do everything possible to prevent. In the world of running\u2014and especially trail running\u2014a hamstring injury or tear can mean a long, unpleasant road to recovery. <\/p>\n

The dreaded hamstring tear. Don\u2019t overdo it <\/h2>\n

We\u2019re going to break down the functional biomechanics of running step by step to understand, in the case of the hamstring muscles<\/a>, how the injury happens and how to prevent it.<\/p>\n

How do the hamstrings affect the biomechanics of movement? Hip extension to move forward should be done by activating the gluteus maximus, the main driver of propulsion, but for this to happen the antagonist (the muscle that performs the opposite function) must be relaxed. <\/p>\n

\"Hamstring<\/a>
Trail runner during a descent.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Today, running plans, sports training, functional recovery programs, and long hours sitting at work mean the iliopsoas, the main hip flexor, is overworked, causing the gluteus maximus to become inhibited and leading to the well-known \u201cgluteal amnesia<\/strong>\u201d.<\/p>\n

Why do hamstring tears happen?<\/h3>\n

\u201cGluteal amnesia\u201d forces the hamstrings to help with hip extension or to drive the leg forward while running.<\/p>\n

When this happens, the hamstrings become the main player in the forward-swing movement even though their role is to brake the run; so we\u2019re overloading a muscle that has to brake and also drive. What we see is that the forward swing is concentric<\/strong> (shortening) and the braking is eccentric<\/strong> (lengthening), but because the force is greater during braking, the hamstring tears. And once it\u2019s torn, there\u2019s already a 50% chance it will tear again. <\/p>\n

\"A<\/a><\/p>\n

Depending on where the hamstring is loaded, a tear can mean one to three months of recovery time; however, if there is tendon avulsion or a large amount of muscle fibers affected, it may even require surgical treatment.<\/p>\n

The importance of the hamstring muscles<\/h3>\n

But why are the hamstring muscles so important? These are the main reasons why the hamstring muscles are so important: <\/p>\n

    \n
  1. They brake your stride, so they\u2019re extremely important on downhill terrain.<\/li>\n
  2. They run along both sides of the sciatic nerve, and an increase in volume can injure the nerve through entrapment (this type of issue can be mistaken for sciatica).<\/li>\n
  3. They prevent the tibia from shifting forward during changes of direction, braking, and landing from jumps.<\/li>\n
  4. They help prevent dreaded knee injuries.<\/li>\n
  5. They improve the quality of knee flexion.<\/li>\n
  6. They help prevent ankle injuries by creating functionally shortened legs.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    What to do to prevent a hamstring tear<\/h4>\n

    We\u2019re clear on their importance, but then\u2026 how can we avoid a hamstring tear?<\/p>\n

    As a physiotherapy professional with 20 years of experience, I consider it very important to follow these tips to avoid hamstring injuries and\/or tears, and especially the well-known relapses.<\/p>\n