Hamstring injuries are common in sports requiring explosive sprinting — athletics, soccer, basketball and football among them. From minor strains to severe tears, understanding how these injuries happen and how to manage them properly makes a real difference to recovery and reinjury risk.
What are the hamstrings?
The hamstrings are a group of three muscles running along the back of the thigh, responsible for bending the knee and extending the hip — critical for sprinting, jumping and rapid deceleration.
How hamstring injuries happen
Most hamstring injuries occur during high-speed running, particularly during the phase where the leg is decelerating and reaching forward before the foot strikes the ground. This places enormous tensile load on the hamstring, and if it exceeds the muscle's capacity, a strain or tear results.
Grading hamstring injuries
Like other muscle strains, hamstring injuries are graded by severity: Grade 1 involves mild overstretching with minimal fibre damage and a quick recovery; Grade 2 involves partial tearing, with more significant pain, swelling and a longer recovery; Grade 3 is a complete tear, often requiring a much longer rehabilitation period and, in some cases, surgical input.
Why hamstring injuries have a high reinjury rate
Hamstring strains are notorious for recurring, often because athletes return to sport before the muscle has regained full strength and the ability to handle high-speed loading — the exact demand that caused the original injury.
How physiotherapy helps
- Accurate assessment — determining the location, severity and specific muscle involved, which guides the recovery timeline
- Progressive loading — a structured program that gradually reintroduces strength, flexibility and, critically, high-speed loading
- Running mechanics — addressing any technique factors that may have contributed to the injury
- Criteria-based return to sport — using objective strength and function testing, not just time, to determine readiness to return
Preventing hamstring injuries
Regular strength training targeting the hamstrings (particularly eccentric strength work), adequate warm-up before high-speed activity, and managing overall training load are all proven strategies for reducing hamstring injury risk.
If you've experienced a hamstring strain, a proper rehabilitation program significantly reduces your risk of reinjury. Book an assessment with our sports physiotherapy team in the Sutherland Shire.
Written by Aaron Babb, MAppSc Physiotherapy — Founder & Director, Aevum Health & Physiotherapy.