Hamstring injuries occur when you strain, pull or tear one of your hamstring muscles. Your hamstring muscles run down the backs of your thighs. If you feel a sudden sharp pain in the back of your thigh, especially during exercise, you may have just injured your hamstring. Practicing yoga may help you prevent hamstring injuries, but you must take care not to push yourself too hard in your yoga practice to avoid further hurting your hamstring muscles.
Benefits
By loosening your hamstring muscles through your yoga practice, you can prevent painful hamstring injuries. Runners often pull or strain their hamstrings while running if the muscles become too tight, according to the Anahata Yoga Center of Williamsburg. Combining yoga practice with a running routine can help you prevent injuring your hamstrings by keeping the muscles loose and limber.
Yoga Poses to Treat Injured Hamstrings
When you suffer a hamstring injury, Yoga Journal suggests resting completely for 72 hours before performing any yoga poses. To aid healing, try a gentle locust pose. Lie face-down on the floor with your legs straight and your forehead and the palms of your hands resting on the floor. Tighten your hamstring muscles as if you are going to lift your legs off the floor, but do not lift at first. Take your time performing this pose over the course of six weeks, working to eventually use your hamstring muscles to lift your legs off the floor a few inches.
Helpful Poses for Prevention
The Anahata Yoga Center of Williamsburg recommends preventing hamstring injuries by performing a yoga hamstring stretch. Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor. Keep your right foot on the floor while you use your hands to grab your left knee and bring it toward your chest. Exhale and straighten your left leg, trying to point the sole of your left foot toward the ceiling. Hold the pose for 20 seconds, then repeat. Aim for 10 repetitions with each leg.
Considerations
If you practice yoga poses designed to lengthen your hamstrings without also strengthening them, you may end up with overly flexible hamstrings, according to Yoga Journal. If you wind up with overstretched hamstrings, stop performing hamstring stretches during your yoga practice. Allow your muscles to heal for several weeks, then perform strengthening exercises to build up your hamstring muscles before continuing your yoga practice.
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