This article was first published on the The Strength Doc, Dr. John Rusin’s Blog.

Have you ever strained your hamstring before? You’re not alone! Hamstring strain injuries are among the most common acute musculoskeletal injury in the United States. Athletes who participate in track and field, soccer, and football are especially prone to these injuries given the sprinting demands of these sports. One study found that over a 10-year span in the NFL, the occurrence of hamstring strains was second only to knee sprains. The average number of days lost for athletes with hamstring strains ranged anywhere from 8 to 25 days, which equated to missing up to 4 NFL games or 25% of the season. Even more concerning is that hamstring re-injury rates are extremely high, especially during the first 2 weeks after return to sport. In fact, over 1/3 of hamstring injuries will reoccur during this time.

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