As important as it is to stay as active as possible over the years, getting lots of exercise does increase your risk of injury if you don’t warm up properly and maintain proper form as you train, with one of the most common injuries seen in active people being hamstring issues.
These injuries are particularly prevalent among those who take part in any sports that involve sprinting, such as basketball, football, general field sports and running… but the good news is that there’s a lot you can do to prevent them from happening in the first place.
One of the main reasons that hamstring injuries occur is because they get too tight. Rolling out the muscles on a foam roller can help ease any built-up tension, while going for regular sports massages can also make a big difference to your mobility.
Keeping the muscles strong is also one of your first lines of defence, so make sure that you’re training the hamstrings with exercises like hip thrusts and glute bridges.
Your quads (located at the front of your thighs) are likely to be your dominant muscle group, so make sure that you’re not overloading the quads and that your hamstrings are working reciprocally.
Listening to your body is also absolutely key if you are to prevent injuries, not just to your hamstrings but to other muscle groups as well. If you feel aches, pains and tightness anywhere, this is a sign to take a rest and focus on a bit of rehab, getting on the foam roller or booking in with a physio for a deep tissue massage.
Rest days are hugely important for injury prevention, so make sure you prioritise these as and when you can. A good rule of thumb is to train or exercise one day on and one day off if you want to stay injury-free for as long as possible.
