Your hamstring is made up of three muscles located behind your thigh. These are the muscles that allow you to bend your knee. When your hamstring becomes strained, these muscles might begin to tear. Activities such as running, jumping, or sudden starting and stopping can trigger a hamstring strain. If you have a hamstring injury and feel you may benefit from seeing a physical therapist, visit us at Block Sports Chiropractic and Physical Therapy. 

Causes

There are many potential causes of a hamstring injury. Some of these causes include:

• Lack of warm-up or stretching exercises
• Weak muscles or imbalance in muscle strength in or near the hamstring
• Improper footwear
• Recurring injury

Symptoms

If the strain is mild, the pain will not be too bad. However, a more severe strain can make it impossible to walk. Some other symptoms include:

• Sudden pain during exercise
• Popping or snapping feeling during exercise
• Tenderness
• Pain in the back of the thigh or lower buttock, especially when walking or bending
• Bruising

A physical examination from your doctor would be the best way to diagnosis a hamstring injury. 

Treatment and Recovery

The recovery time for a hamstring injury will depend on the severity of the tear or strain. A minor strain may only take a few days to recover from, however, a partial or complete muscle tear can take weeks to months. 

While it depends on the severity of the hamstring injury, it may be able to heal by itself. Within the first two to three days of experiencing this pain, try to speed up the healing process by utilizing the RICE method:

• Rest
• Ice
• Compression bandages
• Elevate your leg

Also, taking anti-inflammatory painkillers may speed up your recovery time!

However, if the strain doesn’t go away on its own, it’s important to seek professional help. Those treatment options involve:

• Physical therapy- Your physical therapist will give you different exercises that improve your muscles’ range of motion, flexibility, and strength. 
• Surgery- If other methods don’t work, surgery may be an option. The muscles are stitched in place.

If you are experiencing a hamstring sprain, contact us at Block Sports Chiropractic and Physical Therapy at either our Smithtown or Selden location today!