Hamstring Injury

What is it?

-       A common muscle injury in team sports and sprinting

-       Often occurs when accelerating/decelerating or running at high speeds, but can also happen when the muscle is rapidly stretched

-       A frustrating injury that can lead to many matches missed for the top sporting clubs around the world

Why does it happen?

-       There are many things that increase your hamstring injury risk like:

-       A spike in training load, particularly high speed running

-       Decreased hamstring strength

-       Decreased hamstring flexibility

-       Stability around your trunk and pelvis

-       If you have had a previous hamstring injury

What does it look like?

-       Often feel a sharp pull in a localised area of the hamstring under load, but can occasionally feel like a gradual stiffening of the muscle

-       Pain often leads to inability to function at the same level, ie you need to come off the ground!

-       There may be some associated swelling and bruising dependant on the severity of the injury

-       Walking, running and bending over are often painful for a period of time after the injury

How to get better?

-       Protect and respect the injury and biological healing

-       Gradually re-gain strength and flexibility

-       Gradually re-introduce high speed running until you can sprint again without any pain awareness or apprehension

Physiotherapists Role:

It is vital to go see a physiotherapist if you have suffered a hamstring injury to:

-       Get the appropriate diagnosis- A physio should be able to give you a fair idea on how long it might take to return to your chosen sport/form of exercise based on things like the location of injury/severity of objective findings

-       Rehabilitate Appropriately to decrease risk of re-injury – A physio will guide you through a plan to help you regain your strength and function, to a stage where you are ready to return to your chosen activity