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Hamstring injuries 
 
The hamstring muscles are commonly strained during explosive
movement or activity. It is a muscle that people tend to stretch
over and over again. It is common to find that as part of a warm up
or cool down program that the hamstring stretch will be there.
In this article you will be able to determine if you need to stretch
your hamstrings and learn vital training protocols that will help
you train them correctly and efficiently. The hamstring muscles can
be effected in two ways - intrinsically or extrinsically. The
intrinsic factors rely on genetic traits and structural concerns. If
a person has poor posture and a crooked skeletal frame then the  
chances of injury will be higher. Muscles that work in pairs to
create a movement will be impaired due to the tightness of one
muscle and the laxity of its opposing muscle.
Extrinsic factors is the environment around us whether exercising or
not.
Commonly hamstring strains happen more often due to intrinsic
factors. Everyone has a different posture and therefore should be
stretching and exercising differently. Generic programs don not work.
The hamstrings muscles originate at the Ischial Tuberosity (sit
bones) and insert into the lower leg bones the tibia and the fibula.
The action of the hamstrings is to flex the knee joint and to extend
the hip. The muscle is predominantly made up of fast twitch muscles 
which means that the hamstrings should be trained under faster 
controlled movements. Slow movements will inherently work against
the natural movement of the hamstrings especially under loads. 
The hamstring muscles help stability of the pelvis and ultimately
the spine. When the human body is walking the hamstrings become 
active just before the foot strikes the ground. This mechanism is
to slow down the movement of the leg at the end of its forward
swing and to initiate tension within the Sacroiliac joint. The
sacroiliac joint is the complex structures that bind the pelvic
bones to the sacrum or tailbone. It helps with spinal stability.
Normal range of the hamstrings in lying position would be to extend
the leg to vertical or 90 degrees. The hamstring muscle does not
have to be stretched if it can comfortably reach its natural end
range. This applies to any muscle group. If the hamstring is of
normal range and is constantly stretched then the muscle becomes
inhibited and weakened. This creates many problems throughout the
body. A weak, lengthened hamstring creates instability at the pelvis
and spine, tips the pelvis forwards creating a stretched abdominal
wall thus creating added spinal instability. When the pelvis is
malaligned it creates tension changes between muscle groups on
the front and the back of the leg. Therefore knee alignment becomes 
a problem and cartilage can be worn out leading to arthritic knee
joints.
Corrective exercises and strengthening of weakened musculature
can create healthy postures and save joint wear and tear. It is
important to remember that stretching the hamstrings can be
destructive to physical wellbeing if the muscles have adequate and
normal length.

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