Hamstring Stretches

How to Prevent Pulled Hamstrings

If you've ever pulled your hamstrings, prevention will clearly be your goal. Repeating that injury not only interferes with our everyday activities but puts you at risk for a repeat injury. To prevent future pulls, invest time in hamstring stretches and exercises that focus on flexibility and strength.

The stretching and strengthening programs that help rehab the injury are the same ones that will help to prevent it. Warm up and cool down.

Going in cold is uncomfortable under any circumstances, but starting an athletic activity without stretching your hamstrings is a risk for injury you just don't have to take. Be sure to warm up properly before and stretch afterwards.

Your feet are designed to protect you against the shock your body feels when you take a step. Every time the heel of your foot hits the ground, a shock wave travels up through your body, all the way to your head.

A healthy body will absorb this shock. But if your feet are not in their correct functioning position, more of this shock is allowed to move through the body to weaken other joints including the hips and spine. Be sure that your feet are healthy, that your arches are properly supported and your shoes are providing maximum shock absorption.

Hamstring Exercises

Doing hamstring exercises could be the best thing you do if you experience a hamstring injury, or if you plan to participate in an activity that uses the hamstrings. Proper hamstring stretches and exercises will keep the hamstrings in good shape, always limber, and strengthened as well.

Hamstring Strain Stretches

At Medi-Dyne, we recommend some of the following stretches for your hamstrings:

• Sitting Hamstring Stretch – Sitting on the floor with your legs outstretched in front of you, wrap the StretchRite® around the ball of your feet. Hold each handle of the StretchRite® with each of your hands. Sitting upright, gently pull back on the handles, while pushing outward with the ball of your feet. Hold for 30 seconds and repeat 3-4 times.
• Laying Hamstring Stretch – Lay with your back against the floor, your knees bent, and your feet flat on the ground near your buttocks. Lift one leg up into the air with the sole of the foot facing up. Wrap the StretchRite® around the ball of the foot and gently pull down on both handles. Keep your leg slightly bent to reduce further injury. Hold for 30 seconds and repeat 3-4 times.
• Kickback Stretch – Get down on the ground on your hands and knees, keeping your back straight without an arch. Slowly extend the leg backward so that it lines up with the spine. Gently kick or push outward with the heel of the foot. Hold for 30 seconds, release, and repeat ten times.

Contact Us Today

Whether you are looking for the equipment that will protect you during hamstring exercises, or if you want to give the StretchRite® a try the next time you participate in hamstring stretches, contact Medi-Dyne today for the most innovative products in the industry at 1-800-810-1740 or 1-817-251-8660..