Running improves cardiovascular health, increases lean muscle mass and helps to relieve stress. But running also can lead to muscle imbalances, tightness or even injury. According to the Cleveland Clinic, 60 percent of runners experience an injury severe enough to force them to stop activity. The hamstrings are one area in which muscle tightness is all too common with runners. Understanding the hamstring muscles in relationship to running can help you prevent hamstring tightness and reduce the risk of injury.
Anatomy of the Hamstrings
The hamstring muscles attach at the bottom of the pelvis and run down the back of the thigh, crossing the knee joint and ending at the lower leg. Three muscles create the hamstring: the semitendinosus, semimembranosus and biceps femoris, made up of a short and long head. The hamstring muscles extend the leg and bend the knee.
Hamstring Use When Running
During running, the hamstrings help flex the knee, contracting as you step forward from one stride to the next. The hamstrings directly oppose the quadriceps muscles, which are used mainly in hip flexion and extension.
Factors Contributing to Tight Hamstrings
The hamstrings are connected to both the pelvis and the lower leg; therefore tightness in the hamstrings can contribute to pain in other areas, including the hips and lower back. Several factors contribute to tight hamstrings. Working at a desk or in a sedentary job creates tight, stiff muscles due to lack of movement throughout the day. Muscle imbalances or weaknesses, such as weak or underactive glute muscles or overactive quad muscles, force the hamstrings to work harder, tightening the hamstring muscles. Lack of stretching also contributes to hamstring tightness, as the muscles are contracted during exercise and aren't stretched and loosened afterward. There are myriad other factors, including hereditary traits, that predispose you towards less flexibility.
Ways to Prevent Tightness and Injury
Whether you already have tight hamstrings or wish to prevent tightness from occurring, there are ways to increase your hamstring flexibility. Strength training to correct muscle imbalances helps so the correct muscles are functioning during movement; often the quadriceps muscles are overdeveloped and the hamstrings are weak, creating an imbalance that can lead to injury. Exercises such as deadlifts and hamstring curls helps strengthen the area. Flexibility exercises also play a crucial role in preventing tightness and injury. Static stretching of the hamstrings helps lengthen the muscles. Using a foam roller on the hamstrings and other muscles in the legs helps loosen knots in the myofascial tissue of the muscles and increase flexibility as well as reduce muscle tightness. Performing warm-ups and cool-downs also helps ready the muscles for exercise and relax the muscles afterward, loosening muscles and reducing the risk of injury.
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