Massage.
MuscleThighsuperficialDraft

HamstringsMusculi ischiocrurales

Group of three muscles on the back of the thigh, running from the sitting bone to below the knee, that bend the knee and extend the hip.

No image yet
LatinMusculi ischiocrurales
Origin
  • Ischial tuberosity (sitting bone): biceps femoris long head, semitendinosus and semimembranosus
  • Linea aspera and lateral supracondylar line of the femur (biceps femoris short head)
Insertion
  • Head of the fibula (biceps femoris)
  • Upper medial surface of the tibia, at the pes anserinus (semitendinosus)
  • Back of the medial condyle of the tibia (semimembranosus)
Action
  • All members: flex the knee
  • Semitendinosus, semimembranosus and biceps femoris long head: extend the hip
  • Semitendinosus and semimembranosus: medially rotate the leg when the knee is bent
  • Biceps femoris: laterally rotates the leg when the knee is bent
NerveSciatic nerve (tibial part), except biceps femoris short head (common fibular part) (L5–S2)
MembersBiceps femoris, Semitendinosus, Semimembranosus
NameOld English hamm, the hollow or bend behind the knee, plus 'string' for the cord-like tendons felt on each side of it.

Palpation

  1. Client prone with a bolster under the ankles; stand beside the thigh.
  2. Place your palms on the back of the thigh and follow the muscle mass up to the ischial tuberosity (sitting bone) at the lower buttock.
  3. Slide down to the back of the knee and feel the tendons on each side of the hollow (popliteal fossa) - biceps femoris on the outside, semitendinosus and semimembranosus on the inside.
  4. Ask the client to bend the knee against light resistance at the heel; the whole group and both sets of tendons firm up.

Landmarks: Ischial tuberosity

The hamstrings fill the back of the thigh between the Gluteus maximus and the back of the knee. Biceps femoris is on the outer side; Semitendinosus and Semimembranosus are on the inner side. Three of the heads start together on the Ischial tuberosity and cross both the hip and the knee, so they are shortened in long periods of sitting. Many clients report tight hamstrings, especially runners and desk workers.

The short head of biceps femoris is sometimes left out of the group, because it only crosses the knee and has a different nerve. Part of Adductor magnus is sometimes counted in, because it shares the sitting-bone origin and the same nerve.

In the Posterior lower limb — 20 min routine, work from the knee up towards the buttock with Effleurage, then Petrissage and Wringing across the thick belly. Go gently in the hollow behind the knee, where nerves and blood vessels lie close to the surface. The hamstrings work against the Quadriceps, and they slow down knee straightening at the end of each step when walking.

Techniques

  • Effleurage — Long, gliding strokes with the whole palm that spread the medium, warm the tissue and link the other strokes together.
  • Petrissage — Kneading strokes that compress, lift and squeeze the muscle away from the bone, working the tissue between the hands.
  • Wringing — A petrissage stroke where the hands lift the tissue and push and pull it across the body in opposite directions, like wringing out a towel.
  • Compression — Pressing straight down into a muscle with the palm, fist or forearm, holding briefly, then releasing and moving on.
  • Hacking — A percussion stroke where the little-finger edges of both relaxed hands strike the muscle alternately in a quick, light rhythm.
  • Passive stretching — The therapist gently moves a relaxed limb to lengthen a muscle to a point of mild stretch and holds it there, with no effort from the client.

Works with

  • Gluteus maximus — The largest and most superficial buttock muscle, and the main extensor of the hip.
  • Gastrocnemius — Two-headed superficial calf muscle that runs from above the knee to the heel and points the foot and helps bend the knee.
  • Adductor magnus — Large, triangular inner-thigh muscle with an adductor part and a hamstring part, which pulls the thigh inwards and helps extend the hip.

Opposes

  • Quadriceps — Group of four large muscles on the front of the thigh that join into one tendon over the kneecap and are the only muscles that straighten the knee.
  • Rectus femoris — Spindle-shaped muscle down the middle of the front of the thigh, the only quadriceps muscle that crosses the hip, so it both flexes the hip and straightens the knee.
  • Iliopsoas — Deep hip flexor made of psoas major and iliacus, running from the lumbar spine and inside of the pelvis to the lesser trochanter of the femur, and the strongest flexor of the hip.

Used in routines

Sources

  1. Wikipedia: Hamstring
  2. Wikipedia: Sciatic nerve
  3. Wikipedia: Tibial nerve