Hamstring issues account for 26 per cent of all running injuries, with one third of runners re-injuring them within a year. So how can you prevent your hamstrings getting injured?

YOUR EXPERT

Lisa Posnett is a specialist musculoskeletal physiotherapist who works at Pure Sports Medicine (puresportsmed.com). She is a keen marathon and ultramarathon runner and has a special interest in running injury rehabilitation and prevention.

The hamstring is the big muscle on the back of your thigh, running from your sitting bone (ischial tuberosity) to the back of your knee. It’s a unique muscle because it covers two big joints, the knee and the hip, which enables the muscle to simultaneously flex (bend) the knee and extend (move backwards) the hip. This alone already makes the hamstring more susceptible to injury.

The hamstring isn’t really a ‘string’ and is actually made up of three different muscles, the bicep femoris (which is most commonly injured), the semitendinosus and semimembranosus.

Why is the hamstring important for running?

The hamstring works throughout your running cycle at varying intensity. It works the most when your leg leaves the ground and strides forward to the next step. At this point, the hamstring is put on the biggest stretch, and the muscle has to contract but lengthen at the same time to decelerate your leg to enable you to place it on the ground. This produces a great deal of tensile strain within the muscle.

What is a hamstring strain?

A hamstring injury is when you get a disruption of the muscle fibres and it’s graded on a scale. Depending on where the damage is, and the extent of it, will determine the type of treatment needed and how long the rehab process is. Hamstring injuries can occur from an accumulation of microscopic muscle damage or one single event when the muscle exceeds its limits and tears.