Healing Hams

Unfortunately, Injuries Are Common Place When We Subject Ourselves To So Much Stress.

- Darren Nicholhurst

As much as it may seem that today’s gym junkies neglect to train their legs and would rather strut their stuff in a pair of skinny jeans. It would appear that actually more and more people are getting into heavy lifts. Social media platforms have made weightlifting fashionable to the everyday white-collar office worker. Either way, we have more people in every sort of gym, lifting and even with knowledge, occasionally they will experience a leg injury.

What sort of injury do I have?

A hamstring injury occurs when you strain or pull one of your hamstring muscles — the group of three muscles that run along the back of your thigh.

A hamstring injury typically causes a sudden, sharp pain in the back of your thigh. You might also feel a “popping” or tearing sensation. Swelling and tenderness usually develop within a few hours. You may also experience bruising or discoloration along the back of your leg, as well as muscle weakness or an inability to put weight on your injured leg.

The hamstring muscles are a group of three muscles that run along the back of your thigh from your hip to just below your knee. These muscles make it possible to extend your leg straight behind your body and to bend your knee. When any one of these muscles stretches beyond its limit during physical activity, injury can result.

Risk Factors

Hamstring injury risk factors include:

• Sports participation. Sports that require explosive movements (sprinting or running) or any other activities that might require extreme stretching, make a hamstring injury more likely. Obviously, overloading the hamstrings in any leg exercise raises the risk of injury, ensure you’re flexible through any movement you may execute.