First, what is a hamstring? According to Mayo Clinic, “The hamstring muscles are a group of three muscles that run along the back of your thigh from your hip to just below your knee. These muscles make it possible to extend your leg straight behind your body and to bend your knee.” These three muscles are the biceps femoris, semitendinosus, and semimembranosus.

Hamstring injury occurs when any of these muscles is stretched beyond its limit during strenuous activities, like playing sports.

Michael Owen of Manchester United, Mark Teixeira of the New York Yankees during the 2010 ALCS, and Phil Younghusband of the Philippine National Football Team are few of the athletes who were removed from their respective team’s roster due to hamstring injury.

Sports participation, a history of hamstring strain, poor flexibility, and muscle imbalance are common causes or risk factors for having hamstring injury.

Phil Younghusband, being an athlete and having strained his hamstring before the first leg against Mongolia in Bacolod last month made him eligible for the injury.

X-Ray, physical examination, and an MRI are usually done to diagnose hamstring injury and assess the extent of injury.

According to Dr. Terence Leveriza of The Medical City Orthopedic Surgery and Sports Medicine, hamstring injury usually takes 6 weeks of recovery.

When asked what measures should be taken to avoid having hamstring injury, Dr. Leveriza answered, “Stretching before participation in sports, and strengthening.”

Perhaps wearing a pair of pink cleats should also be avoided.