AFL Football and Hamstrings
With the weirdest, longest pre-season on record completed amidst lockdowns and socially distanced training, we are finally ready for another season of AFL footy! Whether it is watching it on TV or getting amongst it on one of the local teams, it is an exciting time.
AFL football is a demanding sport, requiring phenomenal endurance, repeated bursts of power/agility in multiple planes of motion, durability to take hard hits, as well as the ability to jump, kick and tackle! No wonder there are so many injuries! There is a lot of ground to cover and even an elite training regimen cannot cover it all. It would take three lifetimes. However it, like most sports, brings so much joy to the players and spectators that we smile in the face of this challenge and march on!
This doesn’t mean we can simply accept injuries as ‘ah, it’s going to happen, so just don’t worry about it’. We as health professionals need to have our eye on what movements occur in the sport, and how we can ensure the athlete is best prepared for them.
Anyone who has played, watched or Google searched “AFL Injuries” no doubt has seen the prevalence of hamstring injuries that occur. Typically this occurs in a high speed sprint, running to scoop up the ball, mark or tackle.
Let’s strip it back and run through the anatomy of the hamstring muscles...
The hamstrings are made up of three individual muscles:
Semimembranosus
Semitendinosus
Biceps Femoris
These muscles sit at the back of the thigh and work together to produce movement. Primarily their actions include the backwards swing of your leg and bending of the knee.
Hamstring injuries have been known to have a high rate of recurrence; that’s why it is important we have a good understanding of them.
If you are currently injured, or have had a history of hamstring injuries, an individualised approach is best. If this is your circumstance, please call the clinic at (03) 5244 0063 and we will arrange a consultation for you.
In the meantime, have a look at the below exercise videos. They will demonstrate how to manage hamstring pain and tightness (Hamstring Extensions) and also how to strengthen your hamstring muscles (Resisted Hamstring Curls, Bridge Hamstring Slides).
Hamstring Extensions
Resisted Hamstring Curls
Bridge Hamstring Slides