Who doesn't know it?
That short stab, then a panicked grip on the thigh and the sad certainty that the ball will have to rest again in the next few weeks.
Experience has shown that sciocrural musculature, i.e. the back of the thigh, also known as “hamstrings”, is the most frequently injured structure in soccer. This region accounts for almost 40% of all muscle injuries in soccer. Strains in the back of the thigh up to muscle fiber (or rather muscle bundle) injuries are observed very frequently. It is remarkable that almost all muscle injuries occur without contact with the opponent and are therefore entirely preventable.
But - as in the case of Benzema - the front thigh muscles can also be affected, especially during explosive movements such as shooting, passing or stopping.
There are many reasons why soccer players are more likely to injure the thigh area. An unequal distribution of forces between the anterior and posterior muscle chains as well as a shortening of the front of the thigh and poor control of the posterior muscle chain are the main reasons.
In this blog post, you will find out why hamstrings are of great importance for soccer players in particular and will also give you five first-class exercises that will prevent muscle injuries in the future.
Hamstrings include three muscles that are located at the back of the leg. These all originate from the sciatic tuber, a part of the pelvis, and start at the lower leg (crus), which is why the muscle group is also known as ischiocrural muscles. The three muscles can be divided into an outer (lateral) portion (M. biceps femoris) and an inner (medial) portion (M. semimembranosus and M. semitendinosus).
All hamstring muscles are biarticular, meaning they travel across two joints, in this case over the hip and knee joints. Only the short head of the biceps femoris is a single-joint muscle (monoarticular), which only crosses the knee joint and therefore only has an oscillating function.
Strong and functionally working hamstrings are considered one of the most important muscle groups for soccer players. They stabilize that knee joint And the Center of the body and ensure functional power transfer from the lower extremities to the trunk. They are particularly demanding during sprints and changes of direction, jumps and rapidly changing starting and stopping movements and are therefore indispensable for every soccer player!
As two-joint muscles, hamstrings are a veritable all-purpose weapon, as they are able to transfer forces from different joints to other joints. In addition to bending in the knee and stretching in the hip joint, the outer part of the hamstrings is responsible for rotating the hip outwards and the inner part for rotating the hip inwards.
Hamstrings can therefore be seen as problem solvers who regulate the fine-tuning of complex movements that occur all too often in soccer. They thus enable optimal positioning of the joints and maximization of performance by transmitting forces.
As a synergist, they also relieve the anterior cruciate ligament. This means that with a strong and resistant back of your thigh, you can also face the nightmare of a cruciate ligament injury Prevent!
Especially during sprints and maximum accelerations, most injuries occur on the back of the thigh. Changes of direction or deceleration, for example when landing after a previous jump, are also considered risky movement patterns.
The consequences are usually muscle-tendon injuries on a continuum between muscle spasm and muscle strain to muscle fiber (on) rupture and, in particularly severe cases, muscle fiber bundles (on) ruptures.
Muscle injuries occur particularly frequently as a result of (maximum) plyometric or yielding muscle action, i.e. when the muscle contracts to the maximum and is simultaneously stretched beyond its anatomical-functional length.
In this context, a particularly critical movement is the late swing phase during a sprint, combined with the ground contact phase. In this phase, the hamstrings, in particular the biceps femoris muscle, are maximally tense and at the same time stretched to their maximum length in order to slow knee extension and counteract hip flexion.
By now, you should know the great importance of hamstrings for injury prevention and be aware of improved performance in soccer. For some time now, adequate prevention programs The subject of modern sports medicine and sports science. Accordingly, various training programs and exercises have already been examined in numerous studies for their effectiveness in reducing injuries.
Ultimately, only a holistic approach can be recommended for the most effective prevention of hamstring injuries. The decisive factor here is a training program that challenges the muscles in a variety of ways and has both a preventive and performance-enhancing effect. It should include the following elements:
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With this exercise, we focus on stabilizing your leg axis, which is very important for you as a soccer player. You start standing one-legged with a slightly bent knee. By moving your upper body forward down and your free leg back up, you get into the single leg deadlift. In order for this to achieve maximum exercise stimulation for the muscles involved (mainly the hamstrings), you must ensure a straight back and a stable pelvis. Repeat this exercise on the other side as well.
Key points:
Duration: 10 repetitions per side
With the Leg Raise Hip Extension, we are taking hip lifting (bridging) to the next level. First, in this variant with one-legged training, you will reduce your muscular differences between standing and gunbone. This variant also strengthens your glutes and hamstrings and is therefore an excellent alternative in terms of injury prevention.
You start from a supine position. Your knees are bent. As with the basic exercise, you lift your hips upwards and tighten your glutes. You then hold the top position and alternately stretch one leg forward. Your knees remain level and your pelvis does not tilt sideways. What do you need for that? A constant tension in the gluteal and abdominal muscles.
Key points:
Duration: 10 repetitions per side
When it comes to preventing hamstring injuries, but also for improving performance, your gluteal muscles are of great importance. In this variant of hip lifting, you will act with the greatest possible dynamism, similar to on the court.
Lying on your back, put both legs up and place your hands sideways next to your body. Stretch your hips upwards. To do this, tighten your glutes. Now jump forward with both legs and land on your heels. Your body is stretched, your buttocks and legs don't touch the ground. During this exercise, your hamstrings must also work in a stabilizing way to maintain tension in the back of your legs. You can increase the difficulty and intensity of the exercise by “jumping” back from the stretched position into the bend of your leg.
Key points:
Duration: 6 — 8 repetitions
Do you want to act powerfully and effectively on the pitch? Then this exercise is essential for you. According to studies, it also reduces your risk of injuries in the back thigh and anterior cruciate ligament by up to 50 percent.
During this exercise, you support yourself with both knees on a suitable surface. With the help of a wall bars or a training partner, the ankles are now fixed. With a slow, controlled movement, you bring your upper body towards the ground. Perform the movement slowly. You can do this by slowing down the back of your thigh and intercepting yourself with your arms just before you hit the ground. Touch the floor with your chest and push yourself back to the starting position.
Key points:
Duration: 6 — 8 repetitions
With this exercise, we kill two birds with one stone: We activate the back thigh muscles and bring length to the front hip muscles and the front of the thigh.
Do a big lunge with your left leg and rest your back knee on the floor. Then rotate your upper body to the left. Place the back of your right hand on the outside of your left thigh with your arm extended and pull your right foot toward your buttocks with your left hand. A little warning: This exercise quickly causes cramps in the back of “inexperienced” people. Start slowly and controllably and get to grips with this drill bit by bit. At the beginning, a belt/band can be helpful to pull the back foot towards the buttocks.
Key points:
Duration: Hold the stretch for 30 seconds per side
Should an emergency have already occurred and you have injured your back thigh, we will support you with our rehabilitative comeback trainings.
With special training programs for hamstring injuries, we are there to provide you with advice and assistance even in the worst time for every athlete.
In doing so, we rely on the “assured diagnostics — professional physiotherapy — comeback training” procedure.
After the neural healing phase, mobilizing, strengthening and finally dynamic elements are implemented piece by piece in the individual training units as part of the comeback work.
In principle, anything that ae Football players need to come back even stronger after an injury break.
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