Hamstring strains of varying degrees are extremely common in runners, sprinters and in all sports that involve sprinting, especially football and soccer.
A hamstring strain is an overstretching or tear in one or more of the three hamstring muscles that form the hamstring muscle group - these are Semitendinosus, Semimembranosus and Biceps femoris. The role of the hamstring muscles is to bend the knee and to extend the hip, it therefore follows that the most common method of injuring them is during these types of movements. Symptoms include a sudden sharp pain at the back of the leg most likely during exercise, pain on stretching the muscle and pain on contracting the muscle against resistance. If the injury is serious there will be swelling and bruising, and if there is a rupture there may be a gap in the muscle.
Hamstring injuries are graded 1, 2 or 3 depending on severity. Grade 1 consists of minor tears within the muscle. A grade 2 is a partial tear in the muscle and grade 3 is a severe or complete rupture of the muscle.
A Grade 1 may feel like tightness in the back of the leg, likely able to walk normally but will be aware of some mild discomfort, especially on longer strides or gentle activity. With a Grade 2 injury, walking will be affected and there may be a mild limp. Bending the knee against resistance causes pain and might be unable to fully straighten the leg. With a Grade 3 injury walking will be severely affected, there will be severe pain especially on bending the knee, and there will be visible swelling and bruising.
General advice for any hamstring injury is to stop the activity and apply ice for 15-20 minutes regularly for the first few hours. Use some form of compression to help control any swelling such as a bandage, tights or skins will help also. Anti inflammatory medication will help if you are able to safely take it. At this stage, do not do any activity that causes pain, do not stretch the injured area into pain, do not apply heat and do not heavily massage the area.
See a physiotherapist at mySydneyPhysio for assessment and treatment if pain or decreased movement occurs.
After an injury it is important to fully rehabilitate the hamstring muscles because if scar tissue forms or the muscle remains tight or weak then this will form a point of weakness in the muscle leading to a high incidence of the injury reoccurring. Ignoring symptoms or having a 'no pain, no gain' attitude is likely to lead to the injury becoming worse and even chronic. Immediate, appropriate treatment in all patients will ensure a good recovery. If the condition becomes chronic, healing slows significantly and there is an increased likelihood of future recurrence.
Physiotherapy treatment for hamstring injuries may include
Your Physiotherapist will explain your injury and what they can do to help you.
Call (02) 8970 8215 or Book Online and have your knee injury treated by a qualified Physiotherapist