Causes: To put it simply, “hamstring injuries happen when the muscles are stretched too far,” according to Camp. Sprinting and any other sport that requires a ton of stress on the legs put participants at risk of hamstring pulls. Running, jumping and kicking sports bring about the most hamstring injuries – of course, that probably includes most of the sports that you can think of. Like quad strains, hamstring pulls can vary greatly in severity, from muscle pulls (Grade 1 injuries) to complete hamstring tears (Grade 3).
Rehab Tips: Camp says a big part of recovery from hamstring injuries is making sure to do exercises that rebuild muscle instead of scar tissue, effectively preventing re-injury. The active rehabilitation process starts with isometric exercises that contract the muscles but don’t move the joints, then moves onto exercise with light weights before starting with more strenuous exercise to steadily return to pre-injury health, and hopefully with some extra strength to prevent future problems.
