What is a Hamstring Muscle ?
Although looking like it, a “hamstring” is not a single muscle. It is a group of 3 muscles that run down the back of the leg. These muscles are: 1. Semimembranosus 2. Semitendinosus 3. Biceps femoris. The Hamstring is the most important muscle group for delivering power during sprinting. What Is A Hamstring Pull/Strain/Sprain/Tear ? A Hamstring injury usually involves damage to Muscle fibers or occassionally tendons. These muscle fibers are either torn partially or sometimes completely. A very rough three point grading system is used to indicate how bad the injury is. Ranging from microtears and partial tears to a complete tear of the muscle. The grading can be described as: Grade 1 Tear: Athlete can walk and possibly slow run with very little or no pain. Fast running may cause pain. Grade 2 Tear: Athlete feels pain when walking. Any running causes definite pain. Grade 3 Tear: Athlete can’t walk without aid or with definite pain. What you feel is a sudden pain in the hamstrings, which
