HOW DO I...?
PREVENT HAMSTRING INJURIES?
The tendons and muscles at the back of your thighs run from your hips to just below your knees. They are crucial for extending your legs back and bending your knees. If you overload them, it may cause injury; so what can you do to stop this from happening?
How do you best look after your hamstrings, to prevent them becoming injured? Dr Bruce Paton is a consultant physiotherapist with a specialisation in lower limb musculoskeletal disorders, trauma, orthopaedics and rheumatology at the Institute of Sport Exercise & Health (iseh.co.uk). He advises: “Your hamstrings need to be strong, especially in outer length and eccentrically. They also need to be flexible.”
Dr Paton suggests several ways you can ensure you’re looking after your hamstrings. “Pace your running and training, especially with regards to highspeed sprinting bouts or interval sessions,” he says.