From the Research
The common name for the muscles in the back of the thigh is the hamstrings, which comprise three main muscles: the biceps femoris, semitendinosus, and semimembranosus, as described in a recent study 1. These muscles play a crucial role in everyday movements like walking, running, jumping, and bending at the hips, primarily functioning to flex (bend) the knee and extend the hip. Some key points about the hamstrings include:
- They originate at the ischial tuberosity (sit bone) of the pelvis and insert below the knee on the tibia and fibula bones 2.
- The name "hamstrings" comes from an old practice where butchers would use these tendons to hang hams for curing.
- Keeping these muscles strong and flexible is important for preventing injuries during physical activities and maintaining proper posture and movement patterns, with eccentric training being a recommended method for reducing the incidence of hamstring injury by 56.8% to 70.0% 3.
- The hamstrings are commonly injured, especially in athletes, and can be managed with nonoperative measures such as activity modification and physical therapy, or operative treatment in severe cases 1.