The hamstring muscle group is located in the back of the thigh, extending from the buttock down to the back of the knee.  There are 3 hamstrings:  biceps femoris, semimembranosus, and semitendinosus.

Function of the hamstrings – as a group they act to bend the knee and extend the hip.  They also act by elongating to control the lower leg’s ability to straighten while running and walking.

Why do hamstring strains occur?

Most hamstring strains occur during sprinting, cutting or aggressive, burst-like activity.  The location of the injury may be felt anywhere throughout the length of the muscle.  If there isn’t an event that immediately results in pain along the hamstring region, the muscle may become injured due to more repetitive overuse.  There is usually a breaking point when the muscle will strain and pain will become more prominent.  Proper rest and healing times need to be allowed in order for the tissue to heal, otherwise, this type of continued stress can lead to more severe, long lasting issues.

Grading of strains –

Grade I strain – Symptoms are usually located to one specific region, stiffness, weakness may be present.  Grade I strains usually don’t limit activity, but will result in soreness following the activity.  Mild stretching, ice to the region will assist in decreasing inflammation.

Grade II strain – Symptoms will cover a more broad area along the hamstring muscle.  A grade II strain involves moderate tearing of the muscle fibers.  There will be notable weakness, altered ability to walk, possibly bruising in the hamstring region.  Mild stretching, rest and ice are common treatments.  If symptoms are not improving within 2 weeks of self treatment, then consultation with your physician may be advised.

Grade III -  A complete tear of the muscle fibers.  There is usually broad discoloration of the back of the thigh, weakness, altered ability to walk and diffuse pain.  You may also see a “balling up” of the tendon in some cases.  Seeking the care of your physician is recommended.

There is a fairly common form of headaches called “cervicogenic headaches”, which means that the headache is actually originating from a problem in the neck.  This can be from a joint in the neck not moving correctly and causing referral up to the head but it is most commonly from one or more muscles in your neck having a “knot”, or hypertonic area, in them and the knot referring symptoms up to your head.

What is significant about this kind of headache is that a person does not have to have neck pain at the same time of the head pain (but they also can).  This type of headache is significant to me because it happens to be something that I personally have 1-2 times per month.

I am going to focus on the muscular cause of headaches and typical pain patterns you see as well as why you might get them in the first place.

Common referral patterns and the muscles involved:

1.  Suboccipital Headaches – the suboccipital muscles are located at the base of your neck, where your neck and the back of your head meet.  These muscles tend to cause headaches that radiate from the back of your head, around the side or over the top and onto your forehead.  They can also skip any portion and just cause pain at the back of your head, side of your head or in your forehead only.

2.  Sternocleidomastoid Headaches – These are large muscles in your neck that run from the bone behind the base of your ear down to your sternum and collarbone, on each side.  They will tend to cause headaches that are located at your temple and wrap around your eye.

3.  Upper Trapezius Headaches – This muscle runs from the back side of your head down onto the top of your shoulder, on each side.  These muscles cause headaches that wrap around your ear, from the back, around the top and to the front, like a large fish-hook.

4.  Temporalis Headaches - This muscle sits right at the temple area of your head, which is just to the lateral side of your eye, on both sides.  Headaches from this muscle will stay right at the side of the head, where the muscle is located.

5.  Occipitofrontalis Headaches -the occipitofrontalis muscles are located at the back of your head, near the base.  These muscles tend to cause headaches that radiate from the back of your head, over the top and onto your forehead.  They can also skip any portion and just cause pain at the back of your head, top of your head or in your forehead only.

This is not a complete list of every muscle that can create a headache but what I see most commonly in my practice – Probility Physical Therapy.  If you ever have a headache in the areas described above, try massaging the muscles around the “X” points indicated for each one.  If you find a very tender spot which reproduces your pain, you’ve got a Trigger Point which is causing a cervicogenic headache!  Gentle massage to that spot will often relieve the headache, at least somewhat.  Good luck!

16 Hands has celebrated the creative spirit since 1975 with items by more than 500 local and nationally known artists and craftspeople working in jewelry, wearable, lighting, furniture, home & garden accents, as well as a wide variety of gifts and an Artrageious greeting card section that is not to be missed.

Open 7 days a week at 216 South Main Street in Ann Arbor.

http://www.16handsgallery.com

Post a comment about the importance of supporting local business in our community and your name will be entered into a drawing to win a gift certificate.

Willow Wellness Studio is a fully equipped studio offering Gyrotonic, Gyrokinesis, and Pilates instruction as well as massage. A visit to Willow is a vacation from the constant demands of daily life. We offer private, semi-private, and small group training with an emphasis on personalized attention to help you get the most out of your workout. We believe that education is a key component in a healthy lifestyle. We strive not only to teach exercises but also to teach our clients about their bodies through the exercises so that they will be empowered in all of their health and wellness endeavors. Special emphasis is placed on how to use the principles of the movement in daily living. Our clients find that they take this awareness out of the studio with them, allowing them to make more informed decisions about their bodies and lives. We work with people of all ages and fitness levels from therapeutic movement and injury recovery through professional athletes.  We also have instructors trained in prenatal and postpartum fitness.

Each person has a unique set of needs and desires and we will work with you to design a workout plan that fits your goals and lifestyle. Our instructors have received the highest level of training and constantly pursue continuing education in order to address as many different needs as possible.

Willow features high quality equipment including two Gyrotonic towers for private lessons or duets as well as Balanced Body Pilates equipment. We offer Pilates reformer duets as well as private training on the reformer and cadillac. We keep our Pilates and Gyrokinesis group classes small (generally no larger than 5 people) to allow for a maximum of personal attention. Our Pilates group classes also feature a variety of small equipment including foam rollers, arc barrels, large stability balls, resistance bands, weighted balls, resistance rings, and small balls so that your workout will never be dull!

Willow also offers massage in order to provide our clients with another avenue for wellness.  Willow massage therapists have completed the highest levels of training and specialize in therapeutic techniques to help keep you in action.

A few more reasons to choose Willow:

• Parking validation
• Make your lesson time your own — at Willow you will never share your lesson space with another lesson
• Complimentary tea from the Tea Haus <http://teahaus-annarbor.com/>  and complimentary light snacks for before or after your session
• Borrow DVDs from our wellness library

We are located on the third floor at 202 East Washington in downtown Ann Arbor. Elevators offer easy access to the space. Natural light pours in through the windows creating a serene space for re-energizing your body and relaxing your mind. Willow was created with the goal of providing a superior client experience — come let us take care of you!”

Win a $25.00 Gift Certificate to Willow Wellness. Post a comment and your name will be added to this week’s drawing.

Nestled in amongst their vineyards in eastern Jackson county, Sandhill Crane Vineyards produces award-winning wines from their own grapes, apples, and pears, along with other Michigan fruits, honey, and maple syrup.

Family owned and operated, this young winery uses only the finest local produce for their handcrafted wines. Winemaker and family member Holly Balansag, makes use of her winemaking and organization skills along with an exceptional palate to produce a wide range of clean, rich, complex wines. Made lovingly in small batches, the tasting list includes well-balanced acidic white wines, rich reds, flavorful fruit wines, and delicious sweet-tart dessert wines. All wines are made on the premises.

Take home a bottle of Sanhill Crane Vineyards wine today and celebrate local winemaking at its best!

For hours of operations please visit: http://sandhillcranevineyards.com/

The mission of Think Local First is to support and cultivate locally owned, independent businesses in Washtenaw County, Michigan, which are committed to making our community a healthier and more vibrant place to live. Think Local First provides resource sharing, strategic development and community-building opportunities for locally owned independent businesses.

We work in the following program areas:

Support of Locally Owned Independent Business: We support the growth and development of local living economy businesses by creating opportunities for business leaders to network and share best practices of sustainable local business.

Community Education: We encourage local and sustainable purchasing by county residents and businesses and educate the community about local living economies through our resource guide, website, newsletter, events, and through public speaking engagements.

Click here to visit the Think Local First website.

In an effort to support and highlight local independently owned businesses, Probility Physical Therapy will be hosting weekly contests through the end of June.  Each week Probility will be highlighting several local businesses that are members of “Think Local First” on their Blog and Facebook page. In addition to the article, Probility will be purchasing gift certificates to be given away in a weekly drawing.

How do you win? Community members listen to local 107.1 FM for the Probility Physical Therapy radio ad. When they hear it, they should note the time and post a comment on the Probility Facebook Page or blog including the time the ad was heard. The ad runs three times per day, everyday through June 30, 2010. Participants may enter each time they hear the ad.  At the end of the week, all submissions will be entered into a drawing and the winners will be randomly selected.

We hope that you will join them in this fun way to bring more awareness to our great local community and it’s independently owned businesses