Hi everyone,

I'm a 26 year old male, 5'10" and I play rugby and football (soccer). I've always been a quick sprinter but I've never trained, it just seems to come naturally. About 5 years ago during a sprint in a training drill my right hamstring pulled and seemed to bunch up just below by bum. Ever since then it has been a recurring thing, I can often pre-empt it now and know when to stop but its become a real problem as it severely limits my participation in sports.

About two years ago now I'd been playing football for almost two hours, I got home and was sat in the bath. When I reached forward to turn the top on to top the water up my right hamstring went again and bunched up the same way. I had to call my housemate to lift me out of the bath tub and support me as I hopped into the front room. I raised the leg, strapped it and iced it. As I led on my back I reached for my phone by my side and my left hamstring did the same thing. Since that they have both been the same.

Last week I ran about a mile around a park in three stages stopping to stretch etc. I got home, had a bath, massaged my hamstrings and put deep heat on and the next day they were very painful and tight. I strapped them both and warmed them up slowly and managed to jog about playing touch rugby but they were stiff for 5 days after and very uncomfortable. Last night I played rugby again and after about 30 minutes they both gave the pulling sensation I feel before they go completely so I had to stop training.

I have tried very light weight hamstring curl exercises in the gym but this gave the same sensation. Are there any exercises or stretches I can do? If I stand upright and try to touch my toes my fingertips are perhaps halfway down my shin so I'm very inflexible. I've read that taping them may help but I don't know if I want to wax the backs of my legs to try this.

Any help would be greatly appreciated, thank you for taking the time to read this.

Chris

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