by Youngbear Roth

Created on: August 06, 2010

Hamstring anatomy and physiology:

Hamstrings are graceful muscles. They are as beautiful to gaze upon as they are important, and they can easily be stretched at the office. However, these ballet dancer's and athlete's muscles have their limits; they tear easily and so must be gently coaxed into providing a quality of allowance. Remember, muscles do not function in a vacuum. When Hamstrings are activated they cause other muscles to contract and stretch. If Hamstrings are not stretched properly, surrounding muscles can sustain mini-tears. If a Hamstring directly sustains a mini-tear it is extremely painful.

A quick overview shows us how Hamstrings are placed along the posterior of the upper leg, and their movement physiology. The Hamstrings are a group of three muscles: 'semimembranosus', 'semitendinosus', and 'biceps femoris'. The group arises from the pelvic bone area called the 'ischium'. In the middle of the posterior thigh they diverge and this allows the 'biceps femoris' tendon to pass along the outside of the knee and reach the 'fibula' bone. The 'semimembranosus' and 'semitendinosus' Hamstrings pass behind the inside of the knee reaching the 'tibia' bone. The Hamstrings' physiology extends the hip joint and flexes the knee joint.

How to avoid painful injury:

Injuries occur when Hamstrings stretch beyond their limitations. If you do not want to be stopped by a torn Hamstring, the first order of business is to take all of the commercial Yoga magazines and journals - that show models reaching their toes with the knees in a full lock-out position - and find a dark corner to store them in. Next, disregard any instruction from a Yoga teacher to try just a little harder to touch your toes with locked-out knees.

To avoid injury during your stretching session, never work with a completely straight leg. Stretch the Hamstring in leg positions that are a tad shy of being locked-out as this takes the strain off the Hamstring group. You can stretch in this fashion and still feel a strong conditioning pull on the muscle group.

Never bounce in a stretch position; approach the stretch gently. Exhale when folding (bending) over, and inhale when coming out of the position. Breathing should be even and gentle and never held during this routine.

Below, I will describe "perfect" execution of a pose. Perfection is a goal to be reached over time gradually.

What to keep handy under your desk:

If you are working at your desk you will require two items: a large beach towel or small

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