Under-use and overuse cause hamstring strain and tension. Three muscles constitute the hamstring – extending from the pelvis to the back of the upper leg, that all flex the knee joint.
Hamstring pain treatment are simple stretches to a massage that ease tight, sore or painful hamstring muscles.
Initial treatment
Regularly used is the RICE (rest, ice, compression, elevation) technique.
- Rest. Avoid heavy weight on the affected leg. Use walking support for severe pain
- Cold temperature therapy for 15 to 20 minutes, three to four times daily, for at the first 72 hours
- Elevate the leg when sitting (use pillow) or lying down
- Use an elastic wrap on the upper leg for compression (stabilize swelling)
- Over-the-counter medication is aspirin, ibuprofen (for pain and reduce inflammation)
- If the symptoms do not subside within two weeks, diagnostic examination is required to determine rehabilitation program, and if surgery is mandatory
Pre-rehabilitation
The following injury-prevention movements improve flexibility and stability of a hamstring strain:
- Bent leg active isolated stretching:
Gently improve the length of the hamstring by using your quadriceps (front thigh muscle) to straighten out your knee. It aids the hamstring to relax, and re-strengthen muscle flexibility
- Massage stick – hamstring:
Gently use a massage stick for a self-massage. Do not cause pain. Only gentle pressure to lessen that can be felt in the back of the thigh
- Romanian dead lifts
Three common warm-up techniques are
- inverted hamstring
- glute bridge
- straight leg march
Perform 10 reps of the glute bridge and 10 with each leg for the other exercises.
Factors that cause a strained hamstring
- An imbalance between relative strength of the hamstrings and the quadriceps. The quads are naturally stronger than the hamstrings. Which is why the hamstring is vulnerable to high-exertion mobility and heavy weight
- If all sets of muscles are fatigued from training, they are even more vulnerable
- If you suddenly need an extra burst of speed, tremendous force is required of both the hamstrings and the quadriceps
All these conditions (muscle imbalance, inadequate warm-up, fatigue, and sudden speed) simultaneously regularly aggravate a severe hamstring strain, or tear. Running in cold weather and poor running technique, also degenerate an overload of the muscle and a strain.
