The effect of static stretching on hamstring muscle length

Muscular flexibility is important to allow sufficient joint range of motion during basic movements.(4) Hamstring strains are among the most common injuries in sports that involve sprinting and jumping, but are also common in dancing and gymnastics.(4) The bi-articular anatomy of this muscle sometimes means it is stressed heavily over two joints during simultaneous hip flexion and knee extension. Insufficient hamstring muscle length has been thought to be a possible cause of hamstring strain. Static stretching has been shown to be the most effective at increasing hamstring muscle length and flexibility in the management of hamstring injuries.(1,2,3) Recent studies show that there are divided opinions about the effect of static stretching on muscles. More insight is needed to understand if this intervention does or does not increase hamstring muscle length.