Aren't hamstring problems on the training staff?

[big dog cowboy]

I think the limiting of practice, training camp, hitting, etc has actually led to the increase of injuries this year. The players are not football ready like they used to be and now we are seeing an increase in injuries (not just hamstrings)

This was mentioned the other morning but I can't remember who said it. All I recall it was SportsCenter segment with Trey Wingo and Herm Edwards. Basically they came to the same conclusion that the collective bargining agreement limiting practice times helped contribute to the problem.

 

[BigStar]

Are you an athletic trainer? If not, then in all fairness, you don't know. Because I am one. I can understand the sentiment behind thinking that. And some AT's aren't all that great, even at the pro level. I worked with one who's now the assistant AT with a pro baseball club, and as far as I'm concerned, he's stealing a paycheck. The guys the Cowboys have are good. They know their stuff. Some athletes are just more prone to things like this due to a number of factors (off-season training, genetics, nutrition, age, general body/muscle composition, etc). It's kinda like saying that if a kid doesn't do well in school, it must be the teacher's fault. Might be, but there are probably a lot more factors involved.

I hate to admit I was previously in this mob in our perspective towards Mile's hammy situation. It isn't about him being in shape or working hard (he obviously does), it is HIS body that is having the problem. also, thanks for the specifics on the relationship between hammys n quads. Informative read and great post!

 

[Billy Bullocks]

You can correct me if I am wrong but if you injure the muscle enough you can develop scar tissue at the tear point which makes muscle pulls even more likely.

Generally, even a minor tear (or a "strain"/"pull") will result in the body laying down scar tissue over the muscle. The more severe the tear, the more scar tissue will be laid down. Scar tissue gets laid down every which way, as the body is just trying to heal the muscle. You can do things like rolling/stretching/massaging to the muscles to ensrue the scar tissue runs in line w the muscle, but it'll never be as good as new, if you will.

Also, every time your muscle tears and re heals, it heals a bit shorter (think of it as a string u cut in half, then tie in a knot).

Now, I may be over simplifying here, and will caveat, I'm not an athletic trainer, but I've had personal experience with this stuff.

 

[Billy Bullocks]

I think the limiting of practice, training camp, hitting, etc has actually led to the increase of injuries this year. The players are not football ready like they used to be and now we are seeing an increase in injuries (not just hamstrings)

I cant remember the name but someone is tracking this data and injuries are way up with the new CBA.

It's well possible that's accounting for other types of injuries. Muscle injuries, especially with athletes at this level aren't going to be prevented by knocking the crap out of each other in training camp.

And from what I've seen, the uptick in ACL/lower body injuries (I haven't actually seen any data to tie this to previous seasons) is due to the new rules to protect against concussions.

 

[Doc50]

Well, I'm a distance runner and I pulled my hamstring twice when I was on the track team in 2nd-year. Made it a practice afterwards to strengthen my glutes doing one-legged deadlifts and squats etc., not just to prevent hamstring problems but also to prevent TFL (have to have the medius and TFL in balance) and other hip flexor problems. Haven't had a problem since. Guess it is different for everyone like you said.

Distance runners typically do not have as much trouble with hamstrings because their leg motions are smooth are consistent.
Athletes that have to explode, stop, change directions, and start explosively again are much more likely to get this kind of tear.
It can't be effectively surgically repaired, so it can never be expected to return to 100% durable.

For all of us old guys, if you've never had even a minor hammie, go out and run a 40 against your grandson without warming up.
No, wait.......Don't do that, or the darn thing may bother you from now on.
What I see the most are men's softball players, unconditioned, tearing a hammie trying to run to first base.

 

[Rack]

I tore my hammy while stretching before doing squats many years ago. After that I started developing patella tendonitis (since my hammy was too "tight" after the tear it put too much stress on my knee. It didn't help that I played basketball almost every day and didn't give my hamstring even a single day to heal).

 

[Picksix]

Well, I'm a distance runner and I pulled my hamstring twice when I was on the track team in 2nd-year. Made it a practice afterwards to strengthen my glutes doing one-legged deadlifts and squats etc., not just to prevent hamstring problems but also to prevent TFL (have to have the medius and TFL in balance) and other hip flexor problems. Haven't had a problem since. Guess it is different for everyone like you said.

Yes, sometimes that will have a significant effect, and I'm glad it worked for you. If my rebuttal came on too strong, that was not my intent. It's just that in my experience, one solution just doesn't work for everybody.

 

[Kristen82]

If my rebuttal came on too strong, that was not my intent. It's just that in my experience, one solution just doesn't work for everybody.

I hate you forever! Jk...

 

[Billy Bullocks]

Distance runners typically do not have as much trouble with hamstrings because their leg motions are smooth are consistent.
Athletes that have to explode, stop, change directions, and start explosively again are much more likely to get this kind of tear.
It can't be effectively surgically repaired, so it can never be expected to return to 100% durable.

For all of us old guys, if you've never had even a minor hammie, go out and run a 40 against your grandson without warming up.
No, wait.......Don't do that, or the darn thing may bother you from now on.
What I see the most are men's softball players, unconditioned, tearing a hammie trying to run to first base.

Right, sudden movements are much more likely to cause a tear in the muscle than overuse, but both can result in problems. Also, factor in that most of the old guys who don't do much more than play softball once a week are probably sitting a lot. That's tightening up your hip flexors which screws up range of motion and causes other problems.

Just do a google search for hamstring/groin injuries, and some of the top results end up being runners forums.

I pulled/tore my hammy

I tore my hammy while stretching before doing squats many years ago. After that I started developing patella tendonitis (since my hammy was too "tight" after the tear it put too much stress on my knee. It didn't help that I played basketball almost every day and didn't give my hamstring even a single day to heal).

I pulled my glute/hammy playing soccer and played through it for about 3-4 weeks. Then came back too early at least twice. Ended up causing issues in my groin, and the whole thing took about 6 months to resolve.

Rest and light stretching is about the only remedy you have for the problems.


Hate to say it, but Miles will probably be out for the rest of the year. Odds are, he'll have this issue again in the near future, and probably will be what ends his career.

Look at Mike Vick, he's in and out with the same problems.