Physical Preparation Podcast · Mike Robertson

Hamstring Strains, Groins Pulls, and How to Stop Them with Ian Oskar Katanec

·50 min·3 clips

Ian says groin problems and hamstring problems start from different pressure patterns in the pelvis.

1. Physical Preparation Podcast focuses on hamstring strains, groin pulls, and how to stop them in soccer and basketball. 2. Mike Robertson hosts the conversation with Ian Oscar Katanec, a manual therapist, strength coach, and owner of IOK Rehab. 3. The episode asks why soft tissue injuries keep showing up in explosive field and court sports and what trainers can do about them. 4. Ian says soccer and basketball players often have very limited hip internal rotation because their sport keeps them on their forefoot and changing direction quickly. 5. He describes athletes as being 'standing in the matrix' or on a 'ski slope' because their center of gravity is pushed forward. 6. Mike Robertson says the classic 'just get it stronger' approach rarely works well for rehabbing groins and hamstrings. 7. Ian says even getting athletes from almost no usable hip internal rotation to 15 or 20 degrees can change how they feel. 8. He argues that the goal is often not perfect textbook motion but enough restored motion to reduce tension and let tissues tolerate sport again. 9. Ian says he now uses more realistic interventions because elite players train and play every day, so he chooses exercises they will actually do. 10. He gives examples like goblet squats instead of more abstract breathing drills when the athlete needs something practical. 11. For hamstrings, Ian starts with grounded positions, moves athletes toward the heel, and then progresses to an incline Nordic machine and banded seated curls. 12. He uses a foam roller under the pelvis to influence sit-bone position and reduce how much the hamstring feels 'choked.' 13. Ian says barefoot work matters because soccer and basketball shoes can change the entire setup, especially with heel-to-toe drop. 14. He notes that a shoe with a 15-millimeter heel-to-toe drop can offset a good exercise plan if the athlete already falls forward. 15. For return-to-play, Ian says he tries to delay the loss of range of motion by giving athletes small exercise 'nuggets' between running bouts and on-pitch sessions. 16. He also uses tape in the national-team setting when he needs more help getting the foot, knee, and pelvis to behave the way he wants. 17. The tone is practical and technical, with Mike Robertson pushing for examples and Ian answering with field-tested details from national teams and private clients. 18. The format moves from biography to mechanisms, then to specific exercise choices, return-to-sport decisions, and a short lightning round. 19. Athletes, coaches, and rehab pros working with soccer or basketball. 20. Listeners wanting theory-only rehab discussion without exercise detail.

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