Question: Muscle Tightness in Runners
After running I often feel a tightness and pulling sensation in the muscles across the back of my thigh. Can you tell me what this is?
Answer: This is actually a common complaint of runners. What you are experiencing is tightness of the hamstring muscles. The action of this muscle group is to bend the knee and extend the hip; the movement performed when pushing off the ground when running.
To prevent these muscles from becoming "tight," it is important to stretch them immediately before and after running any amount of distance. With effective hamstring stretching, the muscle fibers will lengthen and the pulling/tight sensation will decrease. Hamstring stretching is also an important way to prevent running injuries.
