Hamstring Injury
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Hamstring injuries are caused in sprinting by a number of things. It can be over striding, tightness of muscles or even uneven ground. Hamstring injures such as tears, strains and pulls are common in sports that require fast explosive movements, any sport with quick accelerations and decelerations. Muscle Strains and tears most commonly occur from eccentric muscle contractions. This occurs when the muscle is contracting whilst another force is applied to it in the opposite direct, (e.g. force up from the ground). The hamstring muscle group is made up of 3 main muscles. These muscles travel from the hip to just above the knee. The 3 main muscles in the hamstring are; the biceps fermoris, semirednosus and the semimembranosus. These 3 main muscles control the extension of your hip and the bend of your knee. Due to the very fast extensions of the hip and a large range of motion in spiriting, it is quiet common for light surface tears to occur as well as more serious tears. It is also common to re-tear surface tears creating more damage as they continue to run on the injury, this causes large muscle tears. For example going from a Grade I strain to a Grade III strain.
Classification;
Hamstring Tears can be classified into the category of soft tissue injuries. There are three classification grades for Hamstring tears, they are;
Classification;
Hamstring Tears can be classified into the category of soft tissue injuries. There are three classification grades for Hamstring tears, they are;
- Grade I Hamstring Strain (Minor): Mild discomfort, often no disability. Tearing of the muscle fibres is microscopic, essentially stretching the muscle too far. Usually minimal limitations in activity.
- Grade II Hamstring Strain (Moderate): Moderate discomfort, can limit an athlete's ability to perform activities such as running and jumping. May have moderate swelling and bruising.
- Grade III Hamstring Strain (Severe): Severe injury that can cause pain with walking. Muscle fibres significantly or completely torn, potentially requiring surgical intervention. Often patients complain of muscle spasm, swelling, and significant bruising.