Health blog Category: Hamstrings
Pain When Touching Our Toes can Indicate a Hamstring Problem
Our Hamstring Muscles are the reason behind our ability or inability, to touch our toes. The hamstring, is the muscle that runs from deep in the buttock to the back of the knee. This muscle primarily bends the knee and extends the hip backwards, and is very important with walking and running.
Some common hamstring problems include:
- Lack of flexibility
- Lack of strength
- Poor endurance
When these muscles in the back of the thigh are neglected, these deficits can cause cramping when we roll in bed and get up in the morning, can contribute to lower back problems and stiffness, and can even cause a strain or tear when playing a pick-up basketball game.
Read full blog“I’ve Pulled My Hamstring!”
There have been numerous times athletes have grabbed the back of their leg and hobbled off the field or court in pain. This is often because they’ve pulled their hamstring muscle.
What is the hamstring and why is it injured so often?
The hamstring complex is made up of three muscles that originate from the ischial tuberosity (bone in the buttock region), proceeds down the back of our leg, and then crosses the knee on either side.
Read full blogCuring Hamstring Pain
Pain that originates at our “butt” bones, behind/sides of the knee, or anywhere in between could be indicating a hamstring injury! First, let’s discuss a little bit about the hamstring anatomy and its function in our daily life.
The hamstring is comprised of three muscles:
- Biceps femoris
- Semitendinosis
- Semimembranosus
These three muscles all originate at the ischial tuberosity, commonly referred to as your “butt” bones, and inserts below the knee on your tibia and fibula. The Hamstrings primary function is to not only flex your knee, but also assist in extending the hip.
Read full blogWhat is a “Charlie Horse”?
Without a doubt, many of you throughout the course of your lives have suffered a “Charlie horse” or “pulled a hamstring” while running, playing a sport, performing activity or simply while going about your daily life. Have you ever wondered what causes this to occur? Furthermore, how can they be treated and how can they be prevented in the future?
The hamstring is actually a group of three muscles:
- The biceps femoris
- The semitendinosis
- The semimembranosis)
These muscles work together to bend the knee as well as extend the hip.
Read full blogPainful Knees Could Be Indicating a Hamstring Injury
If you’re are having trouble walking, squatting, or experiencing pain around your knee area, you may have a hamstring injury.
Our hamstring muscle group is located on the back side of our thigh and is made up of three muscles. These three muscles originate on the hip bone and attach at the knee joint. When these muscles contract, your knee bends into a flexed position, when they relax, your knee is able to straighten back out.
Read full blogHow Common are Hamstring Injuries…
While hamstring injuries can happen to an athlete during a practice or a game, it’s actually much more common for you to experience hamstring problems related to everyday activities.
How many times a week or even a day do you have to do any of these things?
- Bending at waist
- You have to reach down to pick up your child’s toy or put some documents in a lower filing cabinet drawer.
Identifying Hamstring Injuries
The most common form of hamstring injury is a muscle strain. This is a stretching and sometimes even tearing of your muscle or tendon. Symptoms you could experience with a muscle strain include pain, swelling, muscle spasms, tenderness, and restricted range of motion. The length of time for your muscle to heal is dependent on the severity of the strain and the treatment process. As with any injury, the sooner treatment starts, the better the results will be.
Read full blogWhat’s That Throbbing in my Leg…
Many people have experienced a hamstring injury at some point in your life. Common symptoms that may be associated with a hamstring injury, such as a muscle strain, include pain, swelling, muscle spasms, tenderness, and restricted range of motion. The length of time it take a muscle to heal is dependent on the severity of the strain and the treatment process. As with any injury, the sooner treatment starts, the better the results will be.
Read full blogReach for Our Toes
To be able to reach our toes, we need the help of our hamstrings! While hamstring injuries can happen to an athlete during a practice or a game, it’s actually much more common for all of us to experience hamstring problems related to everyday activities.
A hamstring injury will start to make you feel stiffness and soreness throughout your leg which will make everyday things more difficult, such as:
- Walking
- Changing positions (getting in and out of the car or a chair, etc)
- Bending
The hamstring muscle can be quite temperamental when we don’t give it enough attention.
Read full blogHamstring Problems are Not Just for Athletes
Hamstring problems are not just something we see in athletes. While hamstring injuries can happen to an athlete during a practice or a game, it’s actually much more common for all of us to experience hamstring problems related to everyday activities. A hamstring injury will start to make you feel stiffness and soreness throughout your leg which will make things like walking, changing positions (getting in and out of the car or a chair, etc) and using stairs more difficult.
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