So, you've been playing netball, mixed of course, coz netball is the new speed-dating, and you've been running round like you don't know what and had great fun and even scored a few goals and you've even been woman/man of the match, but he next day your backside is killing you and you can hardly make it up a few flights of stairs without exclaiming to anyone who'll listen "jeez my #OOPS# really hurts!". Well just like the footy player who hasn't played for ages at his Sunday league games and the cyclist who just changed jobs and is now riding twice as far to work, odds are you've strained or "pulled" your hamstrings.

In most cases this is due to overstretching of the hamstrings and probably some tearing of the muscle fibres and/or attaching tissue.

This is why it is essential to keep our hamstrings supple, strong and ready for just about anything by stretching them out on a regular basis.

From couch potato to hot potato in a hour - I don't think so!

It's really amazing just how little we actually "work" our major muscle groups in everyday life. So when we suddenly decide to jump back into a bit of team sport action or double the length of our nice little cycle into work, our bodies will, and do, just say "NO!", sometimes very loudly.


No one in their right mind would ever jump straight into lifting the kinds of weights Mr.T lifts for his pre-breakfast workout without having slowly built up their muscles to cope (ideally through resistance training and stretching).

However, for some reason a great many optimists out there lunge straight into all kinds of seemingly innocent sports and fitness regimes without really applying the same principles. Your body simply can't leap from couch potato to hot potato just because you've decided some sport is "in" again.

You really, really need to do some prep, even if, at the very very least, it's just for a few minutes before you kick-off. Stretching is "the-key-the-secret" to the muscle flexibility, tone and strength that you'll need to protect yourself from injury. I'll come to the injury side of things in more detail a bit later, but for now let's look at how you can make a real difference to your overall fitness and strength with a few simple hamstring stretches.

Two easy hamstring stretches fro beginners

Your hamstrings are powerful because they are made of strongly connected muscle/tendon tissues and fibres. So it's more than likely that you won't be able achieve a full stretch of these tissues immediately. It will take time to achieve a deep and full stretch here, so be patient, baby steps and all that. You don't want to cause excessive tearing by pushing through any warning signs that your body gives you. Stretching really isn't a competition. You should only ever stretch to the point where you feel a gentle stretch. If you feel any pain back-off and hold at a stretch that is comfy. Remembering to breathe deeply at all times (counting your breathes rather than the seconds really helps with this!).

Stretch #1 " Touch your toes"

..or at least try to. Most of us can't actually touch our toes straight off so don't be shocked if you can't on the first attempt. Stand with your feet hip width apart and with your toes pointing in slightly. Stretch your hands above your head as high as they'll go with your index finger pointing straight up (this lengthens/mobilises the back ready for the stretch), then with you elbows facing in and keeping them stationary relative to your head, pivot slowly forward from the hip, not the upper back! As your torso approaches 90 to your legs look forwards keeping your chin up.

90 may be as much as you can manage, but don't worry, doing this stretch right is always a toughie. You'll feel your lower back engaging at this point as well as your hamstrings, so keep breathing and hold for a couple of deep breathes. On the out-breathe trace a - circular downward path outwards with your extended hands toward your feet, always remembering to pivot from the hips. I find that visualising your stomach muscles relaxing to form and inward, icecream scoop shape as you breath out really helps.

As with all stretching breathing is the key to success, so keep breathing and once you're down as far as is still comfy, while feeling the stretch, relax, let your arms hang down, relax your tummy and breath deeply again. Stay there breathing for 10 breathes then slowly on the 10th outward breathe reverse the action pivoting upwards from the hips to the start position. Repeat this process three times for optimum effect.

As you get more confident with this stretch work up to hanging in the downward position for 20 breathes or even up to a maximum of 30 breathes. If you find getting your hands to touch your toes too much, a great way of getting the same kind of stretch is to enlist the help of the kitchen table. Well, any surface at your hip height will do.

Perform the first part of the stretch as above, but this time in front of your chosen surface. As you approach the 90 position rest your torso on the surface and allow it to take your weight, still remembering to pivot from your hips. Once you are at right angles ensure your feet are rooted into the floor and hold, breathing for 20 breathes, easy no!

Stretch #2 - Touch toes variation

This stretch is used lots by dances to quickly prime their hamstrings before a routine but it's great for everyone and gives great results considering how relatively easy it is.

For this stretch, repeat the steps for stretch #1 this time with your feet wide apart, straight legs forming an "A" shape with the ground, again toes pointed slightly inward. As you pivot downward from 90 reach over with you left hand and grab hold of your right ankle across the front of your shin. Place your right hand over the small of you back knuckles facing your back. This will help you to twist from the hip into the stretch. Aim to have the top of your head facing the floor so that you are looking back through your legs.

If grabbing your ankle is too difficult hold on higher up, as high up as the knee if need be.

Keep the stretch for 10 breathes if you can, then in a smooth motion swap hands to legs, so that your right hand grabs you left ankle/leg and hold for a further 10 breathes. Repeat this moving from ankle to ankle decreasing the number of breathes that you hold for each time. So, that's 9 breathes each side, then 8 and so on down to 1 breathe.

When you've completed this set, bend you knees and allow your hands to come to the ground and take some of your weight. You can then either jump your legs together (still bent) or walk you legs together and slowly stand up by arching you back upwards into a standing position.

These two stretches are great beginner's hamstring stretches and are great preparation for more advanced hamstring stretches that will appear in later articles. Use both stretches both before and after a workout or a run to keep everything in balance and reduce soreness.

So now you know the basics of keeping you hamstrings supple, go forth, stretch out and feel the power of your newly primed, powerhouse pins!

The sciencey bit - What hamstrings do

Your hamstrings are one of the most powerful groups of muscles you have. They reside at the back of the thigh running from the hip and pelvis and insert as tendons behind the knee.

In very very simple terms four, of the hamstring group bend the knee, three of which also extend/straighten the hip. They also help to stabilise the trunk during some movements. Most importantly they act to decelerate knee extension after your quads have pulled the lower legs forward.

They are the powers houses of our legs allowing us to walk, run and jump. When they are damaged or torn we tend to be pretty much immobilised. Bad guys used to sever these muscles and tendons to ensure that prisoners didn't leg-it when they weren't looking. This nasty little practice was known, appropriately, as hamstringing, ouch!

Injuries

The most common kind of strain is low level and you probably won't feel it until a day or two after the event. You might have tightness/soreness or cramps or both when you try to walk in anywhere near a normal manner. Touching your toes is probably not as easy as it used to be.

Recovery time should be 3-4 weeks.

With slightly more severe strains you'll get the pain straight away and the tissue will often be very tender when touched. Touching your toes is most likely completely impossible without lots of pain.
Recovery time 4-7 weeks.

If you tear you any of your hamstrings completely you'll get immediate and sever pain, with swelling and likely bruising within a few days. Even walking is going to be a problem if you're this unlucky.

Recovery time at least 3 months.

Treatment

First aid for any muscle injury starts with RICE - no, not with a nice side of chicken korma, but Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation. This will reduce bleeding, swelling and any further damage to the tissue.

Generally all hamstring strains resting is the best plan for recovering, as the injury can easily be aggravated by too much activity. This means absolutely no sports during the recovery period suggested by your doctor.

In the case of a complete tear, the muscle will need surgery and there will be no other option other than resting. Sports will be the last thing on your mind!

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