Sore Hamstrings: Main Causes & Prevention Tips

For those who’re experiencing sore hamstrings, there are a few attainable causes. One is the routine results of intense train, and the opposite has extra critical implications. Learn on to study the variations between each.

What Causes Sore Hamstrings?

The brief reply is muscle injury, however the longer one is extra sophisticated.

DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness)

Some of the widespread culprits for sore hamstrings is delayed onset muscle soreness. “DOMS is the phenomenon the place you end a exercise on day one, nevertheless it’s not till day two or three that you just really feel any ache or soreness related to that exercise,” says Austin Kallai, NASM-certified health and group train teacher.

The ache you’re feeling from DOMS is the results of micro-tears within the muscle wrought by your exercise. “Everytime you problem your self in a exercise, you’re going to trigger microscopic injury to your muscle tissue,” says Trevor Thieme, C.S.C.S., Beachbody’s director of health and diet content material.

And that’s not essentially a foul factor. “It’s fully regular. And it’s what stimulates the restore and adaptation processes that permit you to construct muscle and develop stronger,” he explains. “However once you push your self too laborious or considerably swap up your routine, you possibly can trigger sufficient micro-damage to really feel it.”

Which brings us to an vital level: Soreness has nothing to do with exercise high quality or effectiveness. “It simply signifies that you overdid it,” says Thieme. “So whereas exercise-induced muscle soreness is just a giant deal if it inhibits your subsequent exercise, it’s additionally not one thing to chase or rejoice.”

Backside line: Regardless of the prevailing development of individuals boasting about how killer leg day was as a result of they couldn’t stroll up stairs for 2 days afterward, constructing muscle doesn’t must end in soreness in any respect. In actual fact, it shouldn’t.

Strains and pulls

Sore hamstrings is also the results of a strained or pulled hammy. This sometimes ends in a unique sort of ache than DOMS, feeling sharp and pointed as a substitute.

Strains and pulls come in numerous ranges of severity.

“A grade 1 pressure is minor,” says Kallai. Basically, the muscle wasn’t warmed up after which was pushed to the higher finish of its regular vary of movement, or possibly even a tiny bit additional, and this triggered gentle injury to the muscle fibers.

“A grade 3 pressure is essentially the most extreme, indicating a whole (or nearly full) muscle tear. The muscle might even be separated from the tendon when this occurs,” he says.

Sore Hamstrings vs. Pulled Hamstrings

You is likely to be questioning: How do I do know the distinction between sore hamstrings from DOMS and a muscle pull or pressure?

Variations between the 2 might be decided not solely by how every feels, however by when — and the way lengthy — the ache persists.

Hamstring soreness attributable to DOMS will really feel tender, tight, and stiff after a exercise. Ache sometimes peaks inside 24 to 48 hours, and often lasts only some days.

A pulled muscle elicits a extra quick deep, stabbing ache that’s typically accompanied by noticeable swelling. Relying on its severity, the sort of damage can take wherever from a few weeks to a number of months to heal, and should require medical care.

“A pulled hamstring is a unique beast,” says Thieme. “It’s a tear within the muscle tissue that outcomes from overstretching, overuse, or extreme stress, equivalent to attempting to raise a weight that’s too heavy, too shortly.”

For those who’re experiencing extreme and/or debilitating ache, don’t take any possibilities. Seek the advice of a medical skilled to get a definitive analysis.

Tips on how to Deal with Sore Hamstrings

Hamstring soreness attributable to DOMS ought to resolve itself inside a day or two. Throughout that point, there’s nonetheless lots you are able to do to cut back your discomfort.

In case your DOMS isn’t extreme sufficient to restrict mobility, Kallai recommends getting a therapeutic massage, sitting within the sauna, performing some gentle stretching, and interesting in a bit of sunshine, energetic restoration. “Lively restoration is any low-intensity work, equivalent to mountaineering, simple biking, or strolling on a treadmill with a low incline,” says Kallai. Your objectives are to get your blood flowing, ease muscle stress, and velocity restoration — all of which may help decrease DOMS.

How Do I Forestall Sore Hamstrings?

For those who’re new to energy coaching, muscle soreness is hard to keep away from. “You’re difficult your muscle groups in ways in which they’ve possible by no means encountered earlier than,” explains Thieme. “Plus, it takes time to get a way for a way laborious it’s essential push your self to optimize outcomes with out getting sore.”

However that doesn’t imply you’re doomed to fixed hobbling and persistent discomfort. Comply with these tricks to cut back the severity of exercise-induced muscle soreness — and even perhaps stop it from occurring within the first place.

1. Heat up dynamically

“By no means skip your warm-up,” Thieme says. “Performing dynamic stretches earlier than you train primes your muscle groups for motion, boosting exercise efficiency and decreasing your threat of experiencing extreme soreness and damage.”

Listed below are two dynamic warm-up workouts that particularly goal your hamstrings. Incorporate these into your present warm-up to make sure you’re prepared in your exercise and to mitigate soreness.

Hinges

• Stand together with your ft about hip-width aside, ft parallel, together with your fingers in your hips. That is the beginning place.
• Protecting your again flat and core engaged, push your hips again and hinge ahead till you’re feeling a slight stretch in your hamstrings.
• Pause, after which return to the beginning place.

4-point hamstring curl

• Assume a cat/cow place, together with your knees below your hips and your fingers below your shoulders. That is the beginning place.
• Prolong your proper leg straight behind you.
• Bend your proper knee, squeezing your heel towards your glutes.
• Pause, and return to the beginning place.
• Carry out equal reps on each legs.

2. Keep away from overtraining

“It’s vital to problem your self each exercise, however to not extra,” Thieme says. “For those who can’t full your entire reps and units with good kind, you’re lifting an excessive amount of.”

Additionally, when you can’t stroll the day after a exercise attributable to DOMS, take into consideration lowering your reps or weights for subsequent time.

3. Calm down with stretches

Complement your exercise with cooldown workouts that decrease your coronary heart price and stretch out drained muscle groups. Though analysis exhibits that stretching possible doesn’t assist with muscle soreness after a exercise, it may ease stress and thereby cut back the chance of pulls and strains.

Standing ahead fold

• Stand together with your ft hip-width aside and your arms at your sides.
• Protecting your again flat, hinge ahead at your hips and fold your torso over your legs.
• Maintain for as much as 30 seconds and slowly return to the beginning place.

4. Foam roll

Whereas stretching doesn’t assist relieve muscle soreness, research has discovered that foam rolling after a troublesome exercise can. Foam rolling will increase blood circulate, which might cut back exercise-induced discomfort.

• Sit on the ground together with your legs straight and a foam curler below your thighs. Place your fingers on the ground on both facet of your butt.
• Carry your butt and use your fingers to roll your complete size of your hamstrings — from just under your glutes to your knees — with the curler.

For a deeper roll, cross one leg over the opposite, rolling a single leg at a time.