Hamstring Injury: Nutrition for Fast Recovery

Have you ever suffered from a hamstring injury?   

Did you know…. it is thought to be one of the most frequent injuries experienced by athletes?  

If you have ever experienced a hamstring injury, you will know how painful it can be…and if severe enough, it can take you away from your run training for quite some time.   

So, the aim of this discussion, is to ensure that by the end of the episode you feel more informed on signs and symptoms to observe for and what to do nutritionally and around training if any “niggles” are experienced. 

So, we……   

1. Give an overview of the mechanisms and risk factors associated with Hamstring Injuries  
2. Outline some exercises and training considerations to help prevent and speed up recovery from injury 
3. Discuss nutrition to help prevent and speed up recovery from a hamstring injury 

SHOW NOTES

(04:13)

What are the hamstrings?

The commonly known Hamstrings refers to a group of 3 muscles that run along the back of the thigh, from the hip to just below the knee.

What causes a hamstring injury?

It is thought that most hamstring injuries occur during sprinting due to excessive muscle strain caused by eccentric contraction during the late swing phase of the running gait cycle”

(07:45)

What are the risk factors for the development of a hamstring injury?

There are many potential risk factors when considering the potential for one to occur. These risks include:

Previous hamstring injury - especially if a runner has returned to training BEFORE the injury has healed completely

Age -.risk of injury increases as we age

Inadequate warm-up before exercise and lack of stretching following exercise are known to be contributing factors 

A pro-inflammatory diet may influence the development of a hamstring injury due to chronic low-grade inflammation

And many more that we discuss  

(12:03)

FEMALE FACTORS

1. Females are known to have a lower risk of hamstring injuries than males. This is thought to be related to oestrogen-induced muscle stiffness, in other words, optimal oestrogen has been reported to contribute to a decrease in muscle stiffness and to increase muscle strength
2. Age would be another factor because as we know, oestrogen levels drop at menopause, therefore increasing a female’s risk of developing a hamstring injury…or indeed, any muscular injury

(14:06)

A focus on exercise and training considerations to help prevent and speed-up recovery from a hamstring injury. 

Prevention is always better than cure with all aspects of health and sporting injuries are no less important when considering good health. There are many ways to potentially limit the development of a hamstring injury.

The presenting S/S will depend on the severity of the injury but may include:

• Sudden and sharp pain in the back of the thigh
• Swelling and tenderness over the affected area 
• PLUS++

(17:07)

Defining Proximal Hamstring Tendinopathy

This injury is thought to be is quite rare besides a hamstring muscle injury and the typical symptoms differ significantly from a hamstring muscle injury.

The principal symptoms for this type of injury include:

• Gradual onset and increase of pain in the back of the upper thigh
• The pain can be felt deep into the buttock area
• PLUS ++

What can you do to manage a hamstring...