hamanat.jpgBody Map: Hamstrings

Important structures in the back of the thigh are the three hamstring muscles- the semimembranosus, the semitendonosis, and the biceps femoris.

In this section you will find our available treatment plans as well as the different self treatment techniques on this site.

Injury Treatment Plans for this area:

(* note. each treatment plan includes a free downloadable PDF. Here's a post on how to use them.)

1. Hamstring strain/sprain. Click here.

2. Upper hamstring tendonitis. Click here.

3. Pes anserine injuries. Click here.

This is part of our "Injury of the Week" blog series. Each post will talk about what the injury is and how it can happen. It will then take you through all five steps of the ATA self treatment system.

Individual Parts of the Self Treatment System:

Part 1. Self Muscle Massage.

Blog post with anatomy review, video and picture demonstration of self muscle release techniques for the hamstrings using a foam roller and tennis ball.  Click here.

Part 2. Mobilizations

  1. Blog post on tendon mobilizations for the hamstrings using a tennis ball. Click here.

Part 3. Stretching.

Blog post on beginner and advanced stretches for the hamstrings/back of the thigh. Click here.

  1. Standing 3 way hamstring stretch. Click here. (note: this is part of a two part series on runners knee; scroll down to the stretches)
  2. Three way hamstring stretch with strap (pictures and video). Click here. (this is part of a series on IT Band syndrome. Scroll down to video and pics)

Part 4. Kinesiology Taping.

  1. Taping application to decrease pain and swelling. Click here.
  2. Taping application to protect the hamstring muscle from being overstretched to allow for healing. Click here.
  3. Taping application for the pes anserine common insertion point (inside of the knee where the hamstrings/adductors joint together). Click here.

Part 5. Strengthening

Right now our strength advice is specific to our "injury of the week" blog series (see top of this page for injuries affecting this area). However, all of our strenghtening videos can be found on our youtube channel (link at top of website).