Guest guest Posted January 11, 2004 Report Share Posted January 11, 2004 I'm just curious about the cause of your tear(s), or what you think it is. I had hamstring tears that came back a couple of times. The original cause was almost certainly a time in early college when I attempted a jumping front kick above head level. I wasn't warmed up and had no recent relevant training. It recurred years later when it seemed to be brought on by sprinting/fast running. At the time I did a lot of running, but my hamstrings weren't very flexible, and more importantly didn't have much in the way of practical strength training adaptations. What seemed to finally make them go away was a series of vigorous, deep massages or " cross-frictions " as you say. I mostly did these myself, sitting on a table, with a massage device called a " knobble " . Each time the area would become inflammed and feel bruised. I would wait a couple days for all traces to subside, then do it again. The massage induced trauma seemed to gradually diminish over the course of several torture sessions, and the acute, stabbing tear-pains did not come back. I'm not sure why this worked though. I mentioned the idea of cross-frictions " breaking up " and " realigning " scar tissue here a couple years ago and Dr. Siff shot it down pretty resoundingly. All I know is that it seemed to work where mere rest, ice, heat, slow return to running, etc... did not. I have read a lot of stuff claiming such tears are a result of inadequate " hamstring flexibility " , which is, of course biomechanically nonsensical technically. However, the idea is plainly that inadequate ROM in terms of hip flexion with a relatively straightened knee is the cause. I tend to doubt this is the primary factor, because I run and sprint now without tearing problems and my hips are, if anything, less flexible with the knee mostly extended than before. It seems to me that the main difference now is that I've been doing moderate to heavy Romanian/Stiff-leg Deadlifts regularly for the past couple of years. Additionally, I avoid any tendency to 'reach' or deliberately lengthen my running stride in any way, and use dynamic leg swings as a warmup to any fast running. Another possible related bit of info is that I almost never do static, passive " hamstring stretches " now, as they tend to irritate the nerves in my leg, whereas back then I did them a lot. Overall, hamstring tears were a horrible nightmare. I think I have some kind of PTSD [translation: Post-traumatic Stress Disorder - JRG] from it, because just writing about it like this is making my hamstring feel all squirmy and tingly. Wilbanks ville, FL > Hello group, > > In the past year I've torn my right hamstring twice, the first was a > grade 2 and the second, a slight grade 1 just above the original > grade 2 tear. > > Does any supertrainer have any tips on getting this problem right? > > I've have plenty of massage on it as well as some x friction to break > the scarring. > > I've also done some light static stretching too. I'll be looking to > do some PNF work in the future. > > Any advice would be most appreciated! > > Cheers > > Giles > Sydney Australia Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 11, 2004 Report Share Posted January 11, 2004 I'm just curious about the cause of your tear(s), or what you think it is. I had hamstring tears that came back a couple of times. The original cause was almost certainly a time in early college when I attempted a jumping front kick above head level. I wasn't warmed up and had no recent relevant training. It recurred years later when it seemed to be brought on by sprinting/fast running. At the time I did a lot of running, but my hamstrings weren't very flexible, and more importantly didn't have much in the way of practical strength training adaptations. What seemed to finally make them go away was a series of vigorous, deep massages or " cross-frictions " as you say. I mostly did these myself, sitting on a table, with a massage device called a " knobble " . Each time the area would become inflammed and feel bruised. I would wait a couple days for all traces to subside, then do it again. The massage induced trauma seemed to gradually diminish over the course of several torture sessions, and the acute, stabbing tear-pains did not come back. I'm not sure why this worked though. I mentioned the idea of cross-frictions " breaking up " and " realigning " scar tissue here a couple years ago and Dr. Siff shot it down pretty resoundingly. All I know is that it seemed to work where mere rest, ice, heat, slow return to running, etc... did not. I have read a lot of stuff claiming such tears are a result of inadequate " hamstring flexibility " , which is, of course biomechanically nonsensical technically. However, the idea is plainly that inadequate ROM in terms of hip flexion with a relatively straightened knee is the cause. I tend to doubt this is the primary factor, because I run and sprint now without tearing problems and my hips are, if anything, less flexible with the knee mostly extended than before. It seems to me that the main difference now is that I've been doing moderate to heavy Romanian/Stiff-leg Deadlifts regularly for the past couple of years. Additionally, I avoid any tendency to 'reach' or deliberately lengthen my running stride in any way, and use dynamic leg swings as a warmup to any fast running. Another possible related bit of info is that I almost never do static, passive " hamstring stretches " now, as they tend to irritate the nerves in my leg, whereas back then I did them a lot. Overall, hamstring tears were a horrible nightmare. I think I have some kind of PTSD [translation: Post-traumatic Stress Disorder - JRG] from it, because just writing about it like this is making my hamstring feel all squirmy and tingly. Wilbanks ville, FL > Hello group, > > In the past year I've torn my right hamstring twice, the first was a > grade 2 and the second, a slight grade 1 just above the original > grade 2 tear. > > Does any supertrainer have any tips on getting this problem right? > > I've have plenty of massage on it as well as some x friction to break > the scarring. > > I've also done some light static stretching too. I'll be looking to > do some PNF work in the future. > > Any advice would be most appreciated! > > Cheers > > Giles > Sydney Australia Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 12, 2004 Report Share Posted January 12, 2004 --- Hi ! Once you hae regained normal ROM (90 degree pain free straight leg raise) then strengthen the muscles with hip extension and knee flexion exercises. When your strength is good you can begin easy running. Progress using discomfort as your guildeline. If you feel discomfort slow down or stop your run. Be patient to avoid a chronic condition. Best wishes! Dan Wathen, Youngsotown (OH) State University In Supertraining , " giles_p2000 " <giles_p2000@y...> wrote: > Hello group, > > In the past year I've torn my right hamstring twice, the first was a > grade 2 and the second, a slight grade 1 just above the original > grade 2 tear. > > Does any supertrainer have any tips on getting this problem right? > > I've have plenty of massage on it as well as some x friction to break > the scarring. > > I've also done some light static stretching too. I'll be looking to > do some PNF work in the future. > > Any advice would be most appreciated! > > Cheers > > Giles > Sydney Australia Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 12, 2004 Report Share Posted January 12, 2004 --- Hi ! Once you hae regained normal ROM (90 degree pain free straight leg raise) then strengthen the muscles with hip extension and knee flexion exercises. When your strength is good you can begin easy running. Progress using discomfort as your guildeline. If you feel discomfort slow down or stop your run. Be patient to avoid a chronic condition. Best wishes! Dan Wathen, Youngsotown (OH) State University In Supertraining , " giles_p2000 " <giles_p2000@y...> wrote: > Hello group, > > In the past year I've torn my right hamstring twice, the first was a > grade 2 and the second, a slight grade 1 just above the original > grade 2 tear. > > Does any supertrainer have any tips on getting this problem right? > > I've have plenty of massage on it as well as some x friction to break > the scarring. > > I've also done some light static stretching too. I'll be looking to > do some PNF work in the future. > > Any advice would be most appreciated! > > Cheers > > Giles > Sydney Australia Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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