At the Pain Relief Massage Clinic here on the Gold Coast, sometimes customers bring their leg issues. Runners and athletes on the Gold Coast tend to complain of their leg soreness and sharp pain regularly. The cause of the symptom is often related to one of the hamstring muscles called biceps femoris.

Although pain relief for this muscle by what we call remedial massage, sports massage and deep tissue massage is not too difficult, regular maintenance massage before you notice any symptom is a must for runners and athletes on the Gold Coast.

The biceps femoris muscle is one of the hamstring muscles and has a long head and short head. The long head crosses both the hip and knee joints whereas the short head crosses only the knee joint. Proximally the long head originates from the ischial tuberosity.

Distally it is joined by the short head and they form a tendon that inserts in the head of fibula. The short head originates proximally from the lateral lip of the linea aspera. The short head distally joins the long head in a common tendon and inserts into the head of the fibula.

The basic function on the biceps femoris muscle is the extension of the thigh at the hip joint. A major function of the hamstring muscles including the biceps femoris is to restrain the tendency toward hip flexion during walking. The biceps femoris muscle is also essential when it comes to running as it helps with acceleration and deceleration.

Pain associated with the biceps femoris muscle is usually caused by an injury; the muscle can be easily injured from overuse or too much stretching during common day to day activities but also through an exercise regimen that was executed too much or incorrectly. Sometimes a severe injury can even lead to torn muscles and ligaments so it is important to seek medical advice if you experience a great deal of pain and numbness.

Repeated injuries in this area can even cause a chronic inflammation of the tendons and the sheath, called tendonopathy. Unfortunately, injuries sustained in this area can take a long time to heal, from one to six months with continuous pain even while resting.

There are some risk factors that may play an important role in the injury of the biceps femoris muscle. When it comes to athletes there may be an imbalance between the strength of the hamstrings and the quadriceps which can cause a strain. Another important factor is warming up before exercise as a muscle that hasn’t been properly stretched is at the highest risk especially if the exercise regimen is severe.

Fatigue is another common risk that athletes take every time they overuse their muscles; resting properly should be part of their regimen and can prevent many common injuries. Poor exercise techniques as well as bad posture can also contribute to developing a strained muscle so before starting exercising people should ask a professional for guidance to avoid such injuries.

People with trigger points in the biceps femoris often experience pain when walking. They tend to limp as loading this muscle when walking can be very painful. When sitting, people with those contraction knots usually experience pain at the back of the knee due to the pressure on the muscle contraction knots.

Other symptoms and discomfort that originates from biceps femoris muscle are usually related to everyday activities as people will have trouble performing simple exercises due to pain or stiffness. Activities as simple as walking, climbing the stairs or even bending over are made almost impossible to perform when the biceps femoris muscle is injured.

Tendonopathy is widespread within athletes and people who do regular exercise and it’s associated with micro tearing of the muscle.

Immediate treatment for injuries of biceps femoris include: compression in the area, avoiding any effort for a couple of days and immediately applying ice on the affected area. Other ways to alleviate symptoms are: resting the affected leg elevated, avoiding sitting, light exercise after a couple of days when the pain has subsided, light stretching, etc.

People who get any type of muscle injury should always wear an elastic support to reduce swelling and support the joint at least until a few days pass and the injury is somewhat healed.

Medication for tendinopathy usually consists of anti-inflammatory pills such as ibuprofen to deal with the pain but also with the swelling and inflammation. Sometimes ultrasound and laser treatment, as well as physical exercise are suitable ways to heal faster; the most important thing a person needs to do is make sure that they rest properly and do light exercise to maintain their flexibility and muscle mass during recovery.

It is important to remember that people who had prior injuries of the biceps femoris muscle have an increased chance to injure the area again and they are prone to severe muscle tears and ligament rupture so they should take extra attention if they are planning to exercise or overuse this particular area of their body. It is also important to make sure that the area is completely healed after an injury and ask for professional help if the pain doesn’t go away within a week.

Getting back into your routine should be done slowly with special attention to exercise and movement that use the hamstring muscle in order to avoid a more serious tear while the muscle is healing. Special precautions should be taken by elderly people, pregnant women or overweight people as they are more susceptible to injuries.

If you suspect something is wrong with your biceps femoris muscle or hamstring muscles, click and visit www.remedialmassage-goldcoast.com.au and see what the Pain Relief Massage Clinic on the Gold Coast can do for you. The Pain Relief Massage Clinic is the place where Gold Coast people come for fast pain relief when they suffer from muscular discomfort and pain. The types of therapy offered are categorised as remedial massage, sports massage and deep tissue massage.

Pain Relief Massage Clinic
192 Brisbane Road, Arundel Gold Coast QLD 4214 Australia
Phone: (07) 5537 7886