WHY NO FOOTBALLER SHOULD EVER DO THEIR HAMMIE!!!

HAMSTRINGS
WHY 93% of all hamstring tears are completely preventable and how you can ensure that you never injure your hamstring ever again.

As a therapist it always astounds me how only few elite sporting clubs put preventative measures in place to ensure their athletes do not incur hamstring strains.

Worse still, I find it staggering that even at some elite clubs the medical staff address only the symptoms of the hamstring tear and never the cause.

In Hamstring tears are the result of an over contraction of the hamstring muscles (eccentric contraction).

The reason why pulled hamstrings are so common with footballers;

Our hamstrings are put through incredible force (the ground, another player, kicking)
Hamstrings are at their most vulnerable at fatigue. Football is a long, taxing game. Late in the match fatigue is extremely common.
Any imbalances in your muscles in your legs or hips can and will overload hamstrings. If your quadriceps are stronger than your hamstrings, you are obviously more likely to injure them. Imbalance = Inefficiency + Heavy workload = Tear
Scar tissue present from the healing process of previous hamstring tears.
Compounding these issues, the modern apporach to stretching doesn't do hamstrings any favours. At many clubs, static stretching is carried out prior to participation in sport. Static stretching turns off the Golgi Tendon organ (GTO) within the hamstrings muscles. These receptors are responsible for protecting your hamstrings. In essence, they feel for when the hamstrings are stretched too far, and initiate a contraction (shortening). This stops hamstrings from over stretching. When you perform static stretching, you are essentially lowering the threshold at which the GTO turns on, allowing the hamstring to lengthen and tear. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golgi_tendon_organ

We treat the athlete to ensure they will never strain another hamstring no matter their age, or history of injury. This is because we address the cause of the tear, not just the tear itself.

Deep tissue treatment: We gauge deep through the 3 hamstring muscles, alleviating muscle tightness, removing scar tissue and restoring correct functioning of the soft tissue.
Myofacial release: Fascia wraps around your individual fibres of the muscle, and is like a thick glad wrap sheath. When you stretch your hamstrings and you feel like they are going to snap, this is the fascia that is restricting your movement. Fascia is like Bluetack, add heat through friction and kneed it and it to soften the fascia. Add heat through friction and knead it to soften the fascia. Whilst soft, the fascia is pliable. We stretch and mould the fascia of the hamstring muscles back to its normal state. This immediately removes that snapping sensation as you stretch.
Postural Transformation: We remove muscle imbalance through Postural Transformation. Strengthening core muscles and the muscles and the muscles that support the pelvis restores symmetry. Postural Integration achieves that final step that symptomatic treatment ignores.
eOunce form is restored and pain is removed, then the athlete is educated on correct pre-exercise techniques to ensure your hamstrings are no longer at risk of tearing even under the most strenuous conditions.

Quick note on Chronic hamstring injuries and Postural Transformation
Athletes that continually strain their hamstrings typically have over stretched hamstrings muscles at their resting length. These athletes have either an anterior pelvic tilt or very weak pelvic control. The best way to feel how it is for these athletes to run around is as follows.

Stand stiffed legged, bend down reaching down to touch your toes, stop when you start to feel a stretch in your hamstrings muscles. That feeling is how it is for these athletes as they train, run and even play a full game of football. Add that with the existing scar tissue and it’s not hard to see why they continually strain their hamstrings.

HAMTRINGS ARE ALMOST NEVER SHORT AND TIGHT. THEY ARE MORE LIKE A RUBBER BAND STRETCHED TAUGHT. THEY ARE ELONGATED AND TIGHT. THIS IS WHY YOU CAN STETCH ALL YOU LIKE AND STILL FEEL STIFF.

This is why I find it astounding that the standard medical approach is to address the hamstring in isolation.

Postural transformation removes the anterior pelvic tilt and allows the hamstrings to stay at their resting length. When strength, symmetry and control is addressed, athletes attain a foundation strength (resilience) that actually prevents injury.

At Melbourne Muscular Therapies, our success rate in the treatment and prevention of reoccurring hamstring strains is fallible. We often put strong guarantees in place, because we are so confident in our unique form of treatment.

We have treated many AFL footballers, International Cricketers, along with hundreds of semi professional and amateur footballers looking for an alternative to mainstream Sports Medicine treatment for recurrent hamstring issues.

Call now to ensure the only soft tissue injury you’ll be getting this season is just a corky.