Hamstring strain

The hamstring is a group of four muscles located at the back of the leg. They’re primary movement is bending the knee. A hamstring strain occurs when one or more of these muscles gets overloaded and stretched or torn. Hamstring strains most often occur in activities that include a lot of running and jumping or sudden stopping and starting.

A hamstring strain is more likely to occur if the muscles are not warmed up of sufficiently prepared for exercise; the quadriceps (muscles at the front of the thigh) are tight, this pulls the pelvis forward and tightens the hamstrings; weak gluteal muscles will cause the hamstrings to become overloaded.

As with all muscle strains, hamstring strains are graded according to their severity:

• Grade 1: The muscle has become overstretched, there may be a small amount of fibres torn
• Grade 2: More significant tearing or damage to the muscle
• Grade 3: A complete tear or full rupture

Even a mild hamstring strain will make you more susceptible to re-injury. Treatment and rehabilitation are essential to ensure that the hamstring is fully rehabilitated and not likely to be re-injured.