The Cure for Cramping in the Hamstrings, by Ben Greenfield

Question: My hamstring seems to cramp up, lock up, and even feel like it's going to strain whenever I do speed work on the run. Right now it feels fine to walk, but as soon as I "stride-out", it's painful. Any tips?



Answer: Although there could be many causes, a hamstring problem like this can be an area of hypoxia (low oxygen delivery), calcium leakage, or scar tissue from a past injury.

Initial management for 48-72 hours after feeling this injury come on should involve:

-Gentle stretching
-10-15 minutes ice massage (i.e. Frozen dixie cup), 2-3x/day
-Topical anti-inflammatory (Traumeel is one of my favorites)
-Topical magnesium (10-15 sprays rubbed in over area)
-Substitution of elliptical trainer for runs

After two to three days, you'd shouldn't be gritting your teeth when you break out into a jog! Move on to:

-Deeper stretching and preferably yoga
-Return to running, but with a bicycling or brisk walk warm-up to heat the muscle (you can even try a topical heating ointment, like Greyhound)
-Dynamic leg swings front-to-back and side-to-side both before and after workout
-Warming up VERY well before your runs

If it continues to give you trouble, you may need more aggressive therapy, like Active Release Therapy, Primal Reflex Release Technique, Chiropractic, Acupuncture or Deep Tissue Massage. Best of luck!

Ben Greenfield
MS, CPT, CSCS, CISSN
President, Pacific Elite Fitness
Director of Sports Performance, Champions Sports Medicine
http://www.pacificfit.net/bengreenfield.html
http://www.champsportsmed.com

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About the expert:

Ben Greenfield is recognized as one of the top fitness, triathlon, nutrition and metabolism experts in the nation. In 2008, he was voted as the Personal Trainer of the Year by the National Strength and Conditioning Association, an internationally recognized and respected certifying agency. Ben is Director of Sports Performance and oversees the physiology and biomechanics laboratory at Champions Sports Medicine in Spokane, WA, which offers metabolic-based weight loss, bicycle fitting, running gait analysis, swim stroke analysis, VO2 max testing, blood lactate testing, resting metabolic rate analysis, and other cutting-edge procedures for weight loss and performance.

Ben hosts the highly popular fitness, nutrition and wellness website at www.bengreenfieldfitness.com, which features blogs, podcasts, and product reviews from Ben. In addition to coaching and training for weight loss and sports performance at http://www.pacificfit.net, Ben serves as a business and marketing consultant to fitness professionals, and is the host of a weekly syndicated fitness business blog and podcast at http://www.trainfortopdollar.com. E-mail: ben@bengreenfieldfitness.com

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