A Hamstring injury is common in sports and is sometimes known as a ‘pulled Hamstring’. The term ‘pulled muscle’ comes from the description of how the injury takes place. Usually, the Hamstring muscle is forcibly stretched beyond its limits and the muscle tissue becomes torn. A tear in the Hamstring muscle is referred to as a Hamstring strain by medical professionals.
Dependent on the severity of the strain, the following symptoms may be prevalent:
- With a grade one Hamstring strain the signs may not be present until after the activity is over. There may be a sensation of Hamstring cramp or Hamstring tightness and a slight feeling of pain when the muscles are stretched or contracted.
- With a grade two Hamstring strain there is immediate pain which is more severe than the pain of a grade one injury. It is confirmed by pain on stretch and contraction of the muscle. A grade two Hamstring strain is usually sore to touch.
- A grade three Hamstring strain is a very serious injury. There is an immediate burning or stabbing pain and the athlete is unable to walk without pain. The muscle is completely torn and there may be a large lump of muscle tissue above a depression where the tear is. After a few days with grade two and three injuries a large bruise will appear below the injury site caused by the bleeding within the tissues.
No matter how severe the injury, the immediate treatment of a Hamstring muscle injury consists of the RICE protocol – rest, ice, compression and elevation. It is important that this is done correctly and your Physio can advise you on this. This is aimed at reducing the bleeding and damage within the Hamstring muscle tissue. After the early stages have been spent resting, more active rehabilitation can be started. Realistically, for best results this should be started as early as possible. .
Gentle resistance exercises and stretching are important as they help to align the scar tissue that forms during the healing process. By aligning the scar tissue along the normal lines of stress the tensile strength of the Hamstring is enhanced. At first gentle resistance is provided by our Physios, but as the muscle gets stronger then resistance bands can provide more of a challenge. The sets and repetitions are gradually increased and eventually Core Strengthening can be started. We can guide you through this process.
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