Frequently pulling hamstring...Why?

**Cutabove** · 07-09-2007, 01:55 PM

I always seem to pull my left hamstring. I stretch out and get loose before my softball games, but I still pull my left hammy quite frequently. I never seem to pull my right hammy, or have problems with pulling other muscles. What causes this? Also, it's always the exact same area. Is my hammy more susceptible to being pulled now that I've done it so many times?

**stacked566** · 07-09-2007, 03:05 PM

Hard to say due to not knowing past injuries, extent of the pull...but anyways the main reason people pull hamstrings is due to overdeveloped quads, and thus comparatively underdeveloped hammies. Your best bet would be to continue your quad training as is, but add hamstring specific excercises on a different day and hit them hard to bring them up.

**Cutabove** · 07-09-2007, 06:43 PM

Thanks Stacked...little more info about previous injuries. Last softball season I severely pulled my hammy. I could barely walk. It healed up and since then I have probably pulled it 5 times, never quite as severe though. So that is the history of injuries for that hammy. The rest of my leg has been injury free.

Prior to ever pulling my hammy, when doing ham curls I could always feel a specific area of my hammy that was weak. That is the exact same area that is always the central location of my hammy pulls(don't know the significance of that but thought I'd throw it out there).

So aside from having over-developed quads, is there anything nutritionally that could help prevent this.

**stacked566** · 07-09-2007, 07:02 PM

Well body fat, coupled with normal estrogen levels are associated with joint pain relief. What I would do specifically, is get off the leg curl machine, and try some dumbell leg curls, by having a spotter place a db between ur feet and curl that strictly. Also hack squats and heavy deads will bring them up nicely. Nutritionally, it's always good to have potassium/sodium before a sporting event so your muscle is well hydrated and not h2o depleted. Stay away from caffiene prior to the sporting event due to the mild diuretic effect of it. Hmmm, also your warm up procedure is a bit flawed imo. Try light joggin before your game, then go through a multi planar stretching routine to fully stretch out the now warm muscle. Also, wrapping it with an ace bandage to keep tension on it might help. Just my .02

**Cutabove** · 07-10-2007, 06:24 PM

Great advice...at last night's game I wore compression shorts and wrapped it with an ace bandage, and it held up nicely. I also did take a Fyre pill before the game I pulled it in, so I won't do that anymore. I also think I have been low on the sodium, so I will make sure to some prior to games. Thanks again stacked.

**stacked566** · 07-10-2007, 07:31 PM

np...good luck in the future with it.

**bzb** · 07-20-2007, 02:19 PM

A strength imbalance between the quads and the hamstrings is often cited as a reason for injury, but this usually isn't the case. I would like to see your current training regimen for legs. I wouldn't reccomend leg curls or anything like that which isolates the hamstring in a very unathletic position. You should focus more on functional / athletic movements that target the hamstring they way you will be using it. Leg curls and most other exercises of that sort target the hamstring from knee movement, but the hamstring's main movement is really from the pelvis.

The first thing I would focus on is adequate warm-up which shouldn't revolve around static stretching, but instead dynamic stretching and movements such as a skip, b skip, high knees, and bounds. Static stretching should usually be reserved for post workout / competition.

Exercises that you can use to target the hamstring would be single-leg squats, weighted lunges, jump squats, single-leg bounds, romanian deadlifts, and ~15 degree hill sprints. These are all functional movements that involve the hamstring at the knee and the pelvis, and require coordination that can prevent injury.

These are some things I have learned from personal experience and from reading, and if you continue to do your research you'll eventually find something that works for you.

Beau

**mavsluva** · 07-20-2007, 02:24 PM

Stretching and becoming more flexible will benefit you as well. I used to be a gymnast and we used to stretch all of the time.

Yeah, a hammy injury is the worst.