Why Hamstring Injuries Keep Coming Back — And What Most Rehab Gets Wrong
Hamstring Injury Physiotherapy in Brighton & Hove | Life is Movement
If you’ve ever had a hamstring injury, you’ll know how frustrating they can be.
Hamstring injuries are often painful, debilitating, and notoriously finicky. They don’t just stop you sprinting or training hard — they can affect walking, sitting, bending, and even sleeping. And perhaps most frustrating of all, they have a habit of coming back, sometimes again and again.
At Life is Movement, I see a high number of hamstring injuries in Brighton and Hove — runners, footballers, gym-goers, martial artists, and people who simply enjoy staying active. Many of them tell the same story:
“It felt better… until it didn’t.”
Why hamstring injuries are so tricky
The hamstrings are unique muscles. They cross two joints (the hip and the knee), work at high speeds, and are heavily involved in deceleration — slowing your body down rather than just producing force.
This makes them particularly vulnerable during:
Sprinting
Sudden acceleration or deceleration
Kicking
Bending and lifting under load
Once injured, the hamstring often loses strength and control in its lengthened position — exactly where it needs to be strongest to protect itself.
The common rehab mistake
Most people do some rehabilitation — but not enough of the right kind.
Early rehab often focuses on:
Rest
Gentle movement
Stretching
Light strengthening
That phase is important. It helps settle pain and restore basic movement.
But this is where many rehab programmes stop too early.
Once symptoms improve, people are often told they’re “good to go” — or they assume that stretching alone will keep the problem away.
Why stretching alone isn’t enough
Stretching can feel good. Yoga, Pilates, and mobility work can all improve comfort and range of motion.
But stretching does not build resilience.
In fact, many people who rely solely on stretching for their hamstrings — particularly those doing yoga or Pilates without progressive strength training — are at higher risk of recurring hamstring injuries.
Why?
Because hamstrings don’t usually fail because they’re “tight”.
They fail because they can’t control load while lengthening.
The missing piece: eccentric strength
The key to long-term hamstring health is eccentric strength — the ability of the hamstring to produce force as it lengthens.
This is exactly what happens when:
You slow your leg down while running
You decelerate into a hinge or squat
You control your body during sport
Exercises like glute-ham raises and Nordic-style variations specifically train this capacity. They teach the hamstrings to stay strong, coordinated, and resilient in the positions where injuries usually occur. Fortunately here at Life is Movement we have specialised rehab equipment like this to get you back into shape.
This phase of rehab is often:
Uncomfortable
Technically demanding
Missed entirely in short-term rehab plans
But it’s the difference between temporary relief and long-term confidence.
Hamstring injury rehab in Brighton & Hove
At Life is Movement, hamstring rehabilitation doesn’t stop once pain settles.
We progress you through:
Pain reduction and movement restoration
Strength rebuilding
Eccentric control and load tolerance
Return to sport or high-level activity with confidence
The goal isn’t just to get you back — it’s to make sure your hamstrings can tolerate whatever you ask of them, without fear.
If you’re dealing with a hamstring injury…
If you’re in Brighton or Hove and:
Your hamstring injury keeps recurring
You’ve “stretched it to death” with no lasting improvement
You want to train, run, or play sport without worrying about it
I can help.
📍 Life is Movement – Physiotherapy & Rehab in Brighton and Hove
📩 Get in touch to book an assessment and build a rehab plan that actually holds up.
