Hamstring injuries are common for runners, gymnasts, football players, and other athletes whoever sports programs are challenging on the lower extremities. This common contact with injury means that most athletes incorporate protective measures into their workout to minimize the risk of hamstring strains and injuries.

Traditional, best practice strategies to preventing a hamstring injury include proper strength training of the hamstring muscles (back of the thigh) to ensure that they are equally balanced with the quadriceps muscles (front of the thigh), and ample warm-up and extending of the muscles before beginning exercise and training. So that you can improve protective care, researchers also recently found that "the addition of a sports chiropractic involvement to the current best practices" methods significantly reduced leg muscle strains, thus supporting the addition of chiropractic care as a protective treatment for hamstring injuries. 1

The randomized controlled study followed Foreign football players over the course of one playing season to determine if a sports chiropractic involvement reduced the number of lower limb strains and weeks missed on the field. back pain The control group received only the traditional best practice care but the involvement group received the traditional best practice care and a sports chiropractic involvement.

The players receiving the sports chiropractic involvement were treated with a variety of chiropractic manual treatments including manipulations or mobilizations (adjustments) built to the back and extremities. The researchers noted a statistically significant reduction in the number of hamstring strains for the chiropractic involvement group when compared to the control group, which received no chiropractic involvement.

Chiropractic professionals are licensed Doctors of Chiropractic (DC) and Certified Chiropractic Sports Medical professionals (CCSP) are Doctors of Chiropractic with a special certification in treating sports injuries and optimizing health and fitness. A chiropractic doctor with specialized training as a chiropractic sports physician uses his or her expertise and advanced training of the biomechanics of the body to create personalized programs of care for athletes, which might involve speed, strength, and conditioning programs, and protective and rehabilitative programs.

Sports specific conditioning and training of the leg muscles (quadriceps, hamstrings) in addition has been proven in studies to reduce hamstring strains and injuries. According to one journal study, "increasing the amount of anaerobic interval training, extending whilst the muscle is weary, and implementing sport specific training soccer pratice drills resulted in a significant lowering of the number and consequences of hamstring muscle strain injuries. "2

Protective measures can help minimize the risk of hamstring injury and reduce the seriousness if injured. Hamstring injuries are accompanied by mild to severe pain in the back of the leg, tenderness, and/or bruising. If a hamstring injury is detected, immediate care is required for optimal recovery. The chiropractic doctor or other treating physician usually recommends HEMP (Rest, Ice, Data compresion, Elevation). An over the counter anti-inflammatory may also be recommended to reduce inflammation and swelling. In severe cases of a hamstring grab, surgery may be asked to reattach the hamstring.