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There are four hamstring muscles attaching the pelvis to the knee. A strain of these muscles can range from mild to very severe involving complete rupture of one of the hamstrings. They are particularly vulnerable because they often contract and lengthen at the same time.
Hamstring injuries can occur spontaneously when poorly timed muscle contraction occurs during sprinting. Alternatively, these strains can be caused by poor running technique, improper warm up, sudden change in training load or even lower back nerve tightness (neurogenic hamstring pain).
Mild strains may feel like a tightness and severe strains can be extremely painful making it difficult to walk. The pain is felt in the back of the thigh or lower buttock and can come on suddenly during exercise with a snapping or popping feeling.
Your physio or Sport & Exercise Medicine doctor will carry out a full examination to determine the extent of the injury, along with using an ultrasound or MRI scan.
Grade 1 is a minor tear causing some discomfort in the back of the thigh and inability to run full speed. Grade 2 will affect your walking and is accompanied by sudden twinges during activity. Grade 3 is the most severe tear. You may need crutches to walk and will have severe pain and weakness in the muscle. This is accompanied by swelling and bruising within 24 hours of the injury. MRI may also be used to grade the injury.
We recommend you see one of our Blackberry Clinic physiotherapists at first if you think you have hurt your hamstring muscle. They will use a number of different techniques to treat your injury including taping and a graded exercise programme. Recovery may take one week to six months depending on the severity of the injury. If your symptoms do not improve you should be referred to one of our Sport & Exercise Medicine Doctors who can assess the problem further. Problems in the low back can predispose to recurrent ‘neurogenic’ hamstring pain or calf pain and may respond to treatment directed to the lumbar spine by manual therapy or injections such as epidural or prolotherapy injections.
We recommend that initially you see one of our Blackberry Clinic physiotherapists, osteopaths or chiropractors if you think you have hurt your hamstring muscle. They will use a number of different techniques to treat your injury including taping and a graded exercise programme. Recovery may take one week to six months depending on the severity of the injury. If the symptoms persist they can refer you to one of our Sport & Exercise Medicine Doctors for further investigation or injections.
After a course of Prolotherapy my back pain has gone and I live a normal life. I can’t thank Dr Petrides enough for giving me back my quality of life
Just wanted to say please pass my thanks to my osteopath, I came yesterday with terrible back and shoulder pain and today I am pain free, am well delighted as had a day planned with friends was worried I wouldn’t enjoy, please pass my thanks onto her.
It would not be an exaggeration to say that Lorena has changed my life. Four months ago, having been diagnosed as having “severe, acute and chronic” disc degeneration I genuinely thought I was facing a life of disability (I am 49).
Lorena has re-taught me how to move my body and how to think about what muscles I engage to a point that I am now running, swimming and doing pilates again and have almost full flexibility in my spine. It almost feels like Lorena can see through your skin to your muscles, so profound is her understanding of how the body moves.
Following treatment at Blackberry Clinic, Milton Keynes my back pain improved and I could play for my country again
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