Hamstrings Conclusion

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Hamstring injuries, when ignored, can cause an athlete to miss the entire competitive season.  For this reason, it is very important to begin an early rehabilitation program.  That rehabilitation program should employ a combination of flexibility training, resistance training, aerobic conditioning, and education.  The athlete needs to know that general pain is acceptable, but sharp pain in the area of the injury is a signal to back off.  Sharp pains in the injured areas indicate that the rehab is too aggressive, and causing further damage.  Paying careful attention to the pain that the athlete feels during the rehab will allow the athlete to return to competition at a pre-injury level.  By doing this the athlete will return as an immediate contributor, with little chance for more time loss.

The best preventative for hamstring strains remains adequate preseason conditioning. This should include aerobic training and strength training that ensures a balance in strength between the quads and hamstring muscle groups.  The quad to hamstring strength ratio should be 60 - 80%.  That is, if the quads can lift 200 pounds the hamstrings should be able to lift 120 - 160 pounds.  This ratio is important in preventing not only injuries to the hamstring from violent starts, but also prevent the quad from contracting with such force that it actually injures the hamstring.

Advanced Stretching

©2000 - 2009 David Edell

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Last Update for AthleticAdvisor.com: 10/24/2009 12:09:35 AM