So now your hamstrings are in great shape from our previous blog post lets work round to the inner thigh/groin, to a group of essential muscles called the adductors. 

Adduction 

NOUN
physiology
adduction (noun) 

The movement of a limb or other part towards the midline of the body or towards another part.
The opposite of abduction. 

Groin strain is relatively common injury, though fortunately there is some compelling evidence on how to prevent it with a simple exercise completed as part of your warm up or gym routine. 

This Scandinavian study found a 40% reduction in groin injury from following the exercise protocol in male players. Unfortunately there is no research looking into the same protocol for females or adolescents though we can assume a certain amount of the benefit will be the same for different groups.

If at any point during or following the exercises you experience pain in your groin, please regress by one level for a few weeks then try again. 

So where do I start? 

We would suggest starting with level 1 exercises… 

Lying on your side with your top leg resting in front of you
Slowly lift your bottom leg off the ground as high as it can go then lower it back down.
Repeat on both sides. 

When you feel strong with that exercise, progress to level 2… 

In a side plank position with a partner holding your top knee with both hands (or you can use the straps of a suspension trainer or bench in the gym).
Pushing down with the top leg to bridge your body up and bring your bottom leg to meet the top one.
Slowly lower back down & repeat on both sides. 

Then when you feel great doing that version, progress to level 3! 

In a side plank position with a partner holding your knee and ankle (or using the straps of the suspension trainer or bench in the gym).
Pushing down with the top leg to bridge your body up and bring your bottom leg to meet the top one.
Slowly lower back down & repeat on both sides. 

Phew! We said the exercises were simple but they certainly aren’t easy!

With each exercise start with 3-5 repetitions on each side & build up to 12-15 repetitions on each side, 1 to 3 times per week. If you want to get really technical you can follow the sets and repetitions from the study

Don’t hesitate to get in touch if you’ve sustained an injury or want some advice.

This is especially important if you’ve had more than one episode or longstanding groin pain as it can develop into a chronic issue if ignored- but we can help!

Happy exercising!

Blog Post by…
Fiona Robertson 
BSc(Hons) Physiotherapy MCSP

First up in our Return to Play series is the hamstrings

Here’s Will Highfield aka the Jersey Gorilla to show you where they are… 

You may have heard of the hamstrings being mentioned in relation to football- and this is not surprising– as they are the most common injury.  They are disruptive and costly to teams and frustrating for injured players. Hamstring injury is not just for footballers and can affect anyone, especially active people. If you injure your hamstring you may notice a painful pop in the back of your thigh, or it can just feel tight in the back of the leg when you’re running or bending down.

So how can I keep my hamstrings in good condition? 

If your hamstrings feel good right now, but you want to make them stronger & keep them happy– great!! You can skip ahead to the exercise plan. 

If your hamstrings feel a bit tight (especially if it’s only on one side) it shouldn’t be ignored as it may be a sign of a strain. Rest can help but it can also cause weakness which can lead to re-injury. It’s best to get proper advice- just ring us if you’re not sure! 

Prevention is better than cure! Unfortunately, if you’ve strained your hamstrings before, you’re more likely to hurt them again- so avoiding injury in the first place is always the best option.

Make a plan

Have a training plan or routine which allows for recovery in between training.  

You’re more likely to injure your hamstrings sprinting. This can commonly happen if you turn up to running or sports training with the tank half full, because you did a heavy legs session the day before. Weekend warriors– great effort but cramming your training into 2 days then doing nothing for the other 5 isn’t a great plan. See if you can spread it out a bit throughout the week by cycling to work or fitting in a run at lunchtime.

Nordic hamstring curls 

We love these! A simple exercise that gives you great bang for your buck.
Add 3 sets of 6 of these to your plan once per week and you’ll notice the difference- and the burn!!

Start here using resistance bands or an exercise ball for support… 

OR

Then after a 6-12 weeks of these ones (or when your legs feel strong doing the supported version) progress to the hardcore option! The slower you move and longer you hold the position without dropping to the floor, the harder the exercise is. 

These exercises are tough so so only attempt if your hammies are feeling strong!

Sprinting– and we mean full speed sprinting at 100%! 

Nordic curls are great, but the best formula is to combine them with sprint training. Sprinting is great for preventing hamstring injury and may even improve your running speed- so it’s win win!! This is most important if you play a sport which requires you to reach top speed at any point. 

We recommend doing a few short sprints twice per week on fresh legs, maybe fit it into the warm-up before football training or as intervals during a training run. 

Our suggestion is…
   – head down to your local football pitch or mark out roughly 50 & 100 metres on the road
   – do a warm-up of a few 100m laps at a gentle jog (50% of your maximum speed)
   – then do a few 100m laps at a slightly quicker pace (60% of your max speed)
   – then do a few 50m laps at a quicker pace again (70% of your max speed)
*You might want to stop here if you’ve not run in a while & repeat this session a few times over a few weeks before progressing*
If you’re feeling good and have lots of energy at this point…
   – repeat 4 x 50m laps where you build the pace until you’re running at top speed
The aim is to get a few 50m top speed sprints in your legs twice per week and keep this up throughout the season/year.

Make it a habit & stave off those pesky injuries!! 

So there you have it- the easy peasy guide to super happy hammies! 

Blog Post by…
Fiona Robertson 
BSc(Hons) Physiotherapy MCSP

Help! Sports training in starting back and I’m out of shape!

Planned to get in the shape of your life during lockdown but spent most of your time on Zoom quizzes instead?

Some sports have restarted but if you’re not back to training yet then listen up- over the coming weeks we will discuss evidence–based i.e. actual science (not bro science) recommendations about the best way to return to sport, reduce injury and make the most of the sporting season. 

We will look into how you can keep your hamstrings in top condition, how to bulletproof your groin, how to keep your knee joints happy, how to prevent the dreaded ACL injury and even how strengthening your neck helps to prevent head injury/concussion! 

Feeling a bit deconditioned? 

If you’re used to training at high intensity and have been taking a bit of a break over lockdown then it’s a good idea to prepare your body before getting back to sport full steam ahead. Hopefully you’ve kept up some activity- even small amounts relative to your normal training volume can cut your losses significantly. 

So I won’t have to start from zero again? 

There is a lot of research over the past ten years looking into just that; and the good news is that not only does it take quite a few months to lose muscle strength and fitness back to untrained levels… but we know that when you start training again you can make up what you lost in half the time. 

We recommend taking at least 6 weeks to reintroduce your body to sport- starting with low to medium intensity training for a few weeks then gradually increasing the intensity and progressing towards sport specific movements (like changing direction & sprinting for footballers, or lunging for badminton players) 

Also if you have any previous injuries then you’ll need to pay extra attention to these as you return to training, we’ll discuss how in the coming blog posts. 

Great- when can I start!? 

Now! With news coming out all the time of more sports returning then it’s a good idea to get ahead of the curve and start training as soon as possible. Start with conditioning and check back here for more great ideas… here’s a sneak peek at things to come… 

Blog Post by…
Fiona Robertson 
BSc (Hons) Physiotherapy MCSP