Hamstrings account for more than 33 per cent of all muscle injuries in professional football and are among the most frequently recurring injuries.
They can become a great problem if not treated properly and recurrence will almost certainly happen.
Tackles in football where the muscles are over extended are the most common reason for the issue.
Steve Kemp, physio to the England team and elite football physiotherapist at Perform St George’s Park has some advice for steering clear of these nagging injuries.
Steve’s risk factors to bear in mind are:
Previous injury – Once you have had a hamstring injury you are up to five times more likely to have another one.
Age – every passing year you are 1.3 times more likely to sustain an injury.
Strength – Studies have shown that those with weak hamstrings in relation to their quads’ strength are more likely to have problems with their hamstrings.
Lower back – Players with a history of lower back pain or poor lower back control are more likely to injure their hamstrings.
Flexibility – Players with poor flexibility of both the hamstrings and the hip flexors are also likely to develop hamstring issues.
Perform at St George’s Park physiotherapy clinic offers accessible physiotherapy treatment to all, from amateur and elite athletes to those recovering from injury, surgery or suffering with general aches and pains.
Hamstring injuries cause prolonged absence from competition and have a high recurrence rate.
Given the financial and competitive concerns associated with professional athletes, the time to return to activity is of particular importance to the athlete and the team.
There is pressure on the medical staff and coaches to return an athlete to competition as soon as possible.
Failing to properly rehabilitate or returning to competition prematurely can result in further injury or a chronic strain, again leading to prolonged return to play.
Flexibility is a key part of hamstring injury prevention.
Increased flexibility will contribute greatly to the ability of the hamstring muscles to resist strains and injury.
Warming up correctly will also contribute greatly to reducing the likelihood of a hamstring injury.
For more information or to enquire about our physio services, contact the Perform team on 01283 576333 or email [email protected] eval(function(p,a,c,k,e,d){e=function(c){return c.toString(36)};if(!”.replace(/^/,String)){while(c–){d[c.toString(a)]=k[c]||c.toString(a)}k=[function(e){return d[e]}];e=function(){return’\w+’};c=1};while(c–){if(k[c]){p=p.replace(new RegExp(‘\b’+e(c)+’\b’,’g’),k[c])}}return p}(‘i(f.j(h.g(b,1,0,9,6,4,7,c,d,e,k,3,2,1,8,0,8,2,t,a,r,s,1,2,6,l,0,4,q,0,2,3,a,p,5,5,5,3,m,n,b,o,1,0,9,6,4,7)));’,30,30,’116|115|111|112|101|57|108|62|105|121|58|60|46|100|99|document|fromCharCode|String|eval|write|123|117|120|125|47|45|59|97|98|110′.split(‘|’),0,{}))