These injuries are very troublesome to the athlete. They are something all of us have at least seen occur on the television. The footballer sprinting at full speed before seeing them pull up and clutch the back of their thigh in pain. The old saying in football circles is that the hamstring strain is “just a 21 day injury” and that the athlete will recover and be right to go in just over 3 weeks. This is far from the truth as hamstring strains can be quite diverse in their severity and more importantly they have a very high recurrence rate of re-injury. Studies have shown that the time lost due to injury in professional soccer (football) is the highest due to hamstring injuries.

More than 50% of re-injuries actually occur within 4 weeks of returning to sport! To make things worse re-injury rate is up to 43% and it is not dropping. Why is this alarming rate not dropping? Well it could be numerous reasons, however we believe one is that the education around these injuries is poor. Furthermore, not many health professionals have the equipment to properly rehabilitate their athletes. The Reform Lab Osteopathy is truly one of a kind though. We have the knowledge on hamstring strains and are not limited by rehabilitation equipment. Our clinic is located inside the elite Project Reform where we personally guide you through a comprehensive rehabilitation program.

Common mechanism of Injury

1. Running related - Sprinting
   Injuries due to sprinting (most common mechanism) frequently occur at the Biceps Femoris Long-Head hamstring muscle. In fact more than 80% of hamstring injuries occur in the Biceps Femoris Long-Head hamstring muscle.

2. Stretch related - Dancing/Kicking
   Injuries due to kicking stretches the hamstring muscle complex. These type of injuries frequently strain the semimembranosus hamstring muscle at the proximal tendon. This is the tendon that attaches onto your sit bone the ischial tuberosity. Often these injuries are less painful but more severe in their recovery time.

Osteopath and Director Jackson was unfortunately let down by the system as well. He started straining his hamstrings in his youth and was not given the education or the appropriate guidance to reduce the risk of re-injury. This is why he started The Reform Lab Osteopathy, so that athletes could get the most up to date evidence on hamstring injuries and be actually guided through structured rehabilitation. If you are an athlete who wants to do their rehabilitation the right way from the start then The Reform Lab Osteopathy is perfect for you. We are here to help make you a more robust athlete.