Hamstring Injury

[임상원[생활습관병예방운동센터]]

Hamstring Injury

Muscular strains are very common injuries affecting athletic and active people.  Unfortunately, there are many misconceptions and misunderstandings as to why these injuries occur and how we can prevent them.  As always, we’re going to use the published, peer reviewed literature to help dispel some of the myths…

In order to understand how hamstring muscles function during activity, it’s essential that you understand the different types of muscular contraction that occur.  

When we run, the hamstring is responsible for both a concentric and an eccentric contraction.  The eccentric contraction occurs as the hamstring slows our leg during the swing phase.  The concentric contraction occurs after our foot contacts the ground, helping to propel us forward.  Injury to the hamstring muscle usually occurs during the late swing phase of the running stride and / or during footstrike, when the hamstring muscle is switching from an eccentric to a concentric contraction.

An interesting study published in the Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports spent 4 years looking at elite soccer teams in Iceland and Norway.  What they found was that those athletes who followed a stretching program saw no reduction in the incidence of hamstring strain.  Those teams using an eccentric hamstring strengthening program showed a significant reduction in hamstring strain.  In fact, numerous studies have now shown us that hamstring strain injuries are not usually caused by muscular tightness but are more attributed to weakness.  Specifically, hamstring muscles that are weak during eccentric contraction (the swing phase of running) are more prone to strains.  You can then understand why stretching the hamstrings will only help to make them longer or “looser” but will not necessarily help to prevent injury.  To give the hamstrings more eccentric strength, the athlete needs to train them eccentrically.  Several studies have examined the usefulness of the “nordic lower” exercise (pictured below).  Repeatedly, it has been found to be helpful in reducing hamstring strains in athletes and is why it is included in the “FIFA-11″ program.  This exercise eccentrically trains the hamstring muscle so that it can withstand aggressive lengthening and deceleration of the leg during the swing phase of running. 

As always, these recommendations are to educate the reader.  Before implementing new exercise we suggest that you consult with a suitable practitioner who can decipher your risk of injury and the suitability of this exercise for you.  This exercise is primarily used for the prevention of hamstring strains.  If you have a strained hamstring you likely require treatment before thinking about prevention of re-injury.  Call or email our clinic so that you can be examined by one of our doctors and fix that hamstring injury once and for all!

References

Sangnier S, Tourny-Chollet C. Comparison of the decrease in strength between hamstrings and quadriceps during isokinetic fatigue testing in semiprofessional soccer players. Int J Sports Med 2007: 28; 952-957.

Arnason A, Andersen TE, Holme I, Engebretsen L, Bahr R. Prevention of hamstring strains in elite soccer: an intervention study. Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports. 2008: 18; 40-48.

Croisier JL, Ganteaume S, Binet J, Genty M, Ferret JM. Strength imbalances and prevention of hamstring injury in professional soccer players. The American Journal of Sports Medicine 2008: 36(8); 1469-1475.

Gioftsidou A, Ispirlidis I, Pafis G, Malliou P, Bikos C, Godolias G. Isokinetic strength training program for muscular imbalances in professional soccer players. Sport Sci Health 2008: 2; 101-105.

Greig M, Siegler J. Soccer specific fatigue and eccentric hamstrings muscle strength. Journal of Athletic Training 2009: 44(2); 180-184.

Nordic Lower exercise - as seen at www.fifa.com; “The 11″.  

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Posted in Research by Kevin

[임상원[생활습관병예방운동센터]]

선생님의 ACL injury prevention글을 보고 제가 전에 퍼왔던 글을 선생님 폴더에 올려보았습니다. 참고하시고 삭제바랍니다.

[임상원[생활습관병예방운동센터]]

그리고.. hamstring eccentric contraction 트레이닝을 위한 효율적인 방법.. 어떤 것이 있을까요?

[김영균/서울]

미국 선수 트레이너들이 쓰는 eccentric contraction 트레이닝을 몇개 소개 해 드립니다.
ham ecc curl set 이라 불리는 데요, 선 자세에서 한쪽 무릎을 접었다 폈다 하는 방식이고 다른 방식은 누워서 합니다. 종목에 따라 다르지만, 보통 30초 천천히 20초 빠르게로 3~5셋을 합니다.
스트렝스닝과 접합하게 되면 짐볼을 이용한 triple threat 이나 T band 를 이용한 donkey kick 등이 있습니다.

[윤우채/파워존]

좋은 글 감사합니다. 한 5년 전쯤에 읽어던 적이 있습니다. FIFA 에서 출판된 자료로 기억합니다. ACL preventive program 중에 hamstring의 concentric 과 eccentric action이 ACL과 연관되어 권장하는 운동으로 기억됩니다. 개인적으로 위의 방법은 PFPS에 너무 노출되는 방법으로 권장하고 싶지않습니다. 대신에 OCK 방법으로는 미국 프로나 아마추어 팀 내에 strength and conditioning facility 에서 사용되던 glu-ham machine(최근 크로스핏에서 자주 사용)을 통한 운동 그리고 CKC 방법으로는 stiff-leg DL 방법들이 좋지 않나 생각합니다.

[임상원[생활습관병예방운동센터]]

케틀벨 특강 너무나 좋았습니다. 생각해보니 케틀벨 동작 중 'chop & pop'동작 및 hip을 이용한 swing이 hamstrings의 eccentric contraction에 무척이나 효율적인 것 같습니다....

[임상원[생활습관병예방운동센터]]

저도 그렇게 생각했습니다. 실제로 해보아도 운동을 통해 기분좋은 느낌이 들지 않더군요. 선생님, 19일 화요일에 만나요. 우송대 학생들이 선생님 목빠지게 기다리고 있습니다. 선수재활에 관심있는 친구들, 그리고 이번에 생체 3급 바디빌딩 실기합격한 친구들, 무엇보다 personal training에 관심있는 친구들이 많습니다. 많이 준비시켜 기다리고 있겠습니다.

[윤우채/파워존]

석사학위자가 아닌 학사 학위로 대학교에서 특강을 한다는 자체가 솔직히 부담이었는데 교수님들과 학생들이 특강을 더 좋게 이끌어주셔서 좋은 기분으로 올라왔습니다. 좋은 자리 마련해주셔서 감사합니다.

[임상원[생활습관병예방운동센터]]

학생들의 존경심을 한몸에 받으셨어요. 그날... 정말 수고많으셨습니다. 덕분에 8kg짜리 제 케틀벨은 애들한테 뺏겼답니다. 방학동안 돌아가며 연습해보겠다네요.