The hamstring is crucial for all movement patterns involving the thighs and the legs. It is one of the muscles connecting the hip and the knee. Cyclists, runners, soccer and badminton players all rely heavily on their hamstrings. Wearing hamstring compression shorts are one of the best ways to increase performance and recover your hamstring faster. With this in mind, which are the best compression shorts for hamstring injuries?
If You Are in A Hurry: Best Compression Shorts For Hamstring Injury
- Tough, lightweight HeatGear fabric, with all the performance benefits of UA Compression
- Stretch-mesh gusset & inseam panels deliver strategic ventilation
- Updated ergonomic design keeps seams off high abrasion areas & increases durability
- 4-way stretch construction moves better in every direction
- Material wicks sweat & dries really fast
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- Inseam length: 3 (all sizes). Hip width: 15.5 (size medium)
- Nike Power fabric with Dri-FIT technology
- Lined inseam gusset
- 92% polyester 8% Spandex
- Embossed waistband interior
Prices pulled from the Amazon Product Advertising API on:
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.
What are the most common hamstring injuries for runners, cyclists?
By far, one of the most common types of hamstring injuries that runners and cyclists experience is hamstring tendinitis. It is exactly what it sounds like. Because the knee flexes and extends during training and racing in such a repetitive way, any one of the hamstring tendons can easily become overused and overworked if you’re not careful. A big part of this has to do with the fact that the hamstrings are not actually as flexible as most people assume.Certainly not as flexible as they need to be for daily running or cycling. This is why hamstring stretching is a must if you run regularly.
Likewise, many of the common hamstring injuries that people face are actually caused by something called muscle strength imbalance. In a lot of people, their quadriceps (or thigh muscles) will be significantly stronger than all of their hamstring muscles. This imbalance causes a variety of issues, with strains of the hamstring and pain or discomfort around the knee.
Related: Will Compression Pants Help Knee Pain?
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How do compression shorts work in general?
At their core, compression shorts are essentially like a tight set of spandex shorts that are designed to provide as much pressure to the body as possible. They can be made out of a wide range of different high grade fabrics depending on the pair, with spandex, nylon and Lycra being among the most common.
In addition to helping to wick away moisture as we work out, compression shorts also help promote the flow of oxygen throughout the body – thus allowing your skin to “breathe” while providing as much support as possible during periods of intense activity.
This design brings with it a wide array of different benefits, chief among them being their ability to reduce muscle soreness. As a runner or cyclist, sore muscles are not necessarily something you can eliminate 100%. But the best compression shorts for hamstring injury can help greatly reduce muscle soreness and can also help reduce fatigue while you work out. You’ll be able to run or cycle for much longer without feeling that same impact when you’re done.
How can compression shorts prevent hamstring injuries?
One of the reasons why hamstring compression shorts are so effective at preventing hamstring injuries has to do with how they increase oxygen delivery to your muscles. Regardless of what your stamina level happens to be, getting as much oxygen to your muscles during running or cycling is of paramount importance. Not only does this help make sure that you’re able to go for as long as you need to, but it can also improve your post workout recovery.
By embracing a design that helps promote blood flow and increase oxygen, compression shorts naturally help prevent hamstring injuries in a way that also boosts athletic performance. Essentially, your muscles will start to function better while wearing hamstring compression shorts, which itself reduces the possibility that your hamstrings will become strained or inflamed.
How do compression shorts help you recover from different types of hamstring injuries?
It’s also important to note that compression shorts can absolutely help you recover from different types of hamstring injuries because they provide as much support as possible to areas of the body that you’re actively using, like your hamstrings. Not only can they help significantly reduce the risk of strains in a lot of people, but they can also help with a faster and more effective recovery even if you do get them. This is one of the biggest uses of
As a plus, compression shorts also help improve the quality of your running or cycling workouts. By helping to reduce muscle soreness and fatigue during your workout, you get a better, faster and all around longer experience at the same time – all without feeling as exhausted as you normally do at the end of it. So even if you were only looking at compression shorts to help deal with hamstring injuries, you still get a number of additional benefits that you’d be hard-pressed to find anywhere else.
What features to look for when selecting compression shorts for hamstring protection?
Before you head out to the store to buy a pair of compression shorts of your own, there are a number of important things you’ll want to keep in mind. What are the features of the best compression shorts for hamstring injury?
The most important of these is the fact that some compression shorts are designed with a specific sport in mind. Always read the label carefully to make sure you’re picking the right one. In addition to looking for compression shorts with additional support for your hamstrings, you’ll also want to make sure you get ones best for running, for cycling or for any other sport you might use them in.
Related: Basketball Compression Shorts
Likewise, you’ll want to pay particular attention to the fit of the compression shorts you use. Although everybody’s body is a little bit different, as a rule of thumb your compression shorts should be the same size you would wear in a non-compression pair of shorts.
Finally, you’ll want to look carefully at the amount of compression that your hamstring compression shorts can offer. If you’re totally new to the world of compression shorts, you’ll likely want to start out with a pair that offers light compression. If you need additional support, you can always increase things from there.
The best compression shorts for hamstring injury work with graduated compression. They put more pressure at the bottom of the shorts, before slowly increasing the pressure at the top of the hamstring. These hamstring compression shorts offer the most benefits of compression technology without inhibiting blood flow.
