2 min read • October 20, 2022
Posted in
By Eric Chang
The hamstring muscles are a group of three muscles that run down the back of the thigh. These muscles are the biceps femoris, semimembranosus, and semitendinosus. A hamstring injury can involve one, two, or all three of the muscles in this group.
The biceps femoris muscle is located most towards the outside of the body in comparison to the other hamstring muscles and is made up of two heads, a short head and a long head. The long head of the biceps femoris is one of the muscles of the hamstrings. The biceps femoris flexes the leg at the knee joint and is also used in lateral rotation of the thigh and leg when the knee is flexed.
The semitendinosus muscle is one of the three muscles that make up the hamstrings, and its muscle fibers are located in between the biceps femoris and the semimembranosus. This muscle also flexes the leg at the knee and can medially rotate the thigh and the leg when the knee is flexed. In addition, this muscle is involved in extension of the thigh at the hip joint.
The semimembranosus muscle is one of the muscles that makes up the hamstrings and is located most towards the center of the body in comparison to the other hamstring muscles. Just like the semitendinosus muscle, it is involved in flexing the leg at the knee and medial rotation of the thigh and the leg, along with extension of the thigh at the hip.
Muscle overload - a hamstring injury most commonly results from overload, which can occur due to an abrupt load to the muscle, such as during the start of a sprint. Overload can also happen when the hamstring muscles are lengthened beyond what they can tolerate.
Muscle tightness - tight hamstring muscles are more susceptible to injury. An easy way to check if your hamstrings are tight is to lay down flat and lift one leg up at a time, keeping it completely straight and seeing how far you can raise each leg. This is sometimes referred to as a “straight leg raise.” If you are unable to raise your legs past a 70 degree angle without feeling restricted, you may have hamstring tightness.
Muscular imbalance - It is common for the quadriceps muscles to be stronger than the hamstring muscles in most people, as many activities of daily living are quadriceps dominant. However, this can cause athletes to sustain hamstring injuries during physical activity, since the hamstrings are more likely to tire out before the quadriceps in activities such as a sprint. One way to prevent this is to train the hamstring muscles as often as the other muscles in the leg in order to make sure that they can withstand similar loads as the quadriceps.
Weak muscles - Weak muscles are unable to withstand sustained exercise for long periods of time and thus are more prone to injury. Muscles often become weaker after prolonged inactivity, especially after previous injury. Therefore, it is advised to gradually increase the intensity of exercise over time in order to prevent injury.
Poor warm up - Failing to warm up properly can increase the risk of a hamstring injury, as warming up allows your body to slowly increase blood flow to muscles and other tissues. Warming up also raises your body temperature, which allows more oxygen to be used by the muscles. The combination of this increased warmth and blood flow prepares the muscles to be able to withstand the stress of intense exercise.
This is what is commonly referred to as a hamstring pull. A pulled hamstring is a common injury in athletes because the hamstring muscles span across two different joints. There may be pain but the hamstring muscles are intact with no tearing.
A grade II injury involves a partial tear of one of the hamstring muscles.
A grade III injury is defined as when one of the muscles of the hamstring is completely torn and usually causes severe pain. It will be more apparent that an injury occurred as there will likely be significant bruising and swelling in the back of the thigh.
The recovery time for a hamstring injury varies based on the severity. A grade I strain can heal in just a few days, while more severe injuries may require weeks to months of recovery time. Hamstring injury treatment often involves immobilization after the initial injury, followed by physical therapy in order to improve mobility and strength. It is important to not rush to return to physical activity after a hamstring injury, as this can cause re-injury of the same hamstring or further injury in other parts of the leg due to other muscle groups having to overcompensate for the injured muscle.
As with any injury, there is always a risk to playing through an injury. It is best to speak with your doctor to discuss the severity of your injury and the potential risks of playing with an injury. It is usually not advised to play while injured. Because a grade I injury has a relatively short recovery time in comparison to other injuries, it is wise to wait until the injury has fully healed before competing again.
As discussed previously, the amount of time a player will be out for a hamstring varies based on the severity of the injury. Injuries that involve tearing of the muscle tendon may even require surgery, which will further delay recovery times. Athletes may respond more quickly or slowly to treatment compared to others for a variety of reasons, and for this reason, there is no exact timeline to determine how long a player will be out due to an injury.
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