Hamstring injuries can be persistent and problematic for runners. By gaining a better understanding of why these injuries occur, you can learn how to prevent them from ruining your training and racing plans.
If you have ever struggled with a hamstring injury, you know they can be challenging to treat and can recur if not properly healed. As the saying goes, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, and this is especially true when it comes to happy, healthy hamstrings.
While strong quadriceps may help you go faster and farther in your runs, this can come at the expense of your hamstrings. Runners often become “quad dominant” in training, meaning that there is an imbalance between the strength of the quadriceps and your posterior muscles, including the glutes and hamstrings. This weakness and imbalance can lead to injury, especially during more intensive efforts.
Strength Coach Kyle Davey on hamstring health and injury prevention
This week on the podcast I have strength coach and sprinting expert Kyle Davey to help runners gain a better understanding of hamstring injuries and how to prevent them. Kyle is the Coordinator of Athletic Performance at Northwest Rehabilitation Associates, regularly contributes to Simplifaster, and is the owner of Salem Speed Academy.
Kyle and I take an in-depth look at hamstring injuries, especially as they relate to distance runners. Knowing how to prevent hamstring injuries and manage them if they occur is essential so they don’t become a chronic issue.
Learn more about injury prevention here.
Our conversation touches on many aspects of prevention and treatment, including:
- The most common types of hamstring injuries
- Key factors that increase your risk of injury
- Training suggestions for injury prevention
- The role of strength training in prevention and treatment
- What is pelvic tilt and how it impacts your hamstrings
- The injury rehabilitation process for low and high grade injuries
You’ll find everything you wanted to know about hamstring health in this episode with Kyle!
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Links & Resources from the Show:
Thank you MOBO Board!
Invented by renowned physical therapist Jay Dicharry, MOBO helps you stabilize your stance with an innovative rocker board that’s set up on two fins. The design effectively forces you to drive your big toe into the bboard to improve your stability. I was pretty arrogant going into my first session on the MOBO Board. How hard can it be to balance, right? Well, I was humbled pretty quickly!
Even if you’re a good runner, better balance, stability, and proprioception is going to help you have a more powerful stride and prevent more running injuries. You’ll learn how to improve the efficiency of the kinetic chain from your hip to your big toe. Because as Jay likes to say, it’s not just how strong you are, but how well you use that strength. Save 10% with code STRENGTHRUN10 at checkout at moboboard.com.
Thank You Athletic Greens!
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