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Home > Treatments > Knee Surgery> Hamstring Muscle Strain  Bookmark and Share Go Back Print This Page Add to Favorites

 


Overview

 


What is a pulled hamstring or hamstring strain?

grade 1 strain, grade 2 strain, Hamstring Muscle Strain Surgery Mumbai India A hamstring strain or a pulled hamstring as it is sometimes called is a tear in one or more of the hamstrings muscles. Strictly speaking there are three hamstring muscles (Semitendinosus, Semimembranosus and Biceps femoris) which are known as the hamstring muscle group.

A hamstring strain is a tear in one of the hamstrings muscles located in the back of the thigh.

The type of strain is graded, from grade 1 which is graded from a microtear to a grade 3, which is a complete rupture.

If you cannot walk unassisted then seek medical advice.

A hamstring strain can occur from an inadequate warm up or from incorrect stretching but can be the end result from having poor lower back flexibility or abnormal biomechanics through the pelvis or hips.

A Hamstring injury is common in sports. Hamstring injuries are sometimes known as a 'pulled Hamstring'. The term 'pulled muscle' comes from the description of how the injury takes place. Usually, the Hamstring muscle is forcibly stretched beyond its limits and the muscle tissue becomes torn. A tear in the Hamstring muscle is referred to as a Hamstring strain by medical professionals and depending on its severity it is classified as a first, second or third degree strain :-

  • a first degree strain is damage to a few muscle fibres,
  • a second degree strain is damage to a more extensive number of muscle fibres,
  • a third degree strain is a complete rupture of the muscle itself.


The Hamstring muscle group comprises three muscles - biceps femoris, semitendonosus and semimembranosus. The action of these muscles is to bend the knee and extend the hip.



Anatomy


hamstring, pulled muscle, muscle strain, pulled hamstring, pulled muscles, hamstring injury



Hamstring injuries are common among athletes. The hamstring muscles run down the back of the leg from the pelvis to the lower leg bones, and an injury can range from minor strains to total rupture of the muscle. The three muscles that make up the hamstrings are the biceps femoris, semitendinosus and semimembranosus. A hamstring injury is recognized by a sudden, sharp pain in the back of the thigh that may stop you mid-stride. After such an injury, the knee may not extend more than 30 to 40 degrees short of straight without intense pain.



What Causes a Hamstring Injury ?

Hamstring injuries are very common in sprinting. One of the main reasons for a hamstring injury to occur is due to the relative inflexibility in this area. Another reason for Hamstring injuries can be due muscle strength imbalance. An imbalance between the strength of Quadriceps and Hamstring muscles can result in an injury when sprinting at or near 100%. It is import that Quadricep muscles are developed at the same rate as other legs muscles. Other legs injuries can occur if they are weaker than they should be. Weak Hamstring may also contribute to further injuries and it is possible that weakness may occur following previously undetected minor injuries. If any one of the hamstring muscle group becomes injured, the strength of the whole muscle group will become considerably weaker than.

The hamstring muscles or their tendons may tear as a result of an over-stretch injury, for instance if you sprint fast suddenly when you not warmed up properly or when your muscles are tightened because of a previous strain or fatigued from training hard the previous day. Inefficient muscle function will also contribute to sudden tears in the hamstrings.

The overuse strain starts with a very slight pain, which gradually gets worse, as you continue the activity which caused the problem. Occasionally, the pain is only evident when you work the hamstrings against resistance in their least efficient range, lying on your stomach with your knee held bent to a right angle, and extending your leg backwards at the hip.

Some of the more common reasons for hamstring injuries are:


  • Doing too much, too soon or pushing beyond your limits.
  • Poor flexibility.
  • Poor muscle strength.
  • Muscle imbalance between the quadriceps and hamstring muscle groups.
  • Muscle fatigue that leads to over exertion
  • Leg Length Differences. A shorter leg may have tighter hamstrings which are more likely to pull.
  • Improper or no warm-up.
  • History of hamstring injury.



Preventing a Hamstring Injury


Most importantly is to follow sound training techniques. These should have a progression to build up distance for a strong aerobic base, with a transition to harder and faster workouts and then finally perform high quality speed workouts before reaching a peak ready for the racing season. This allows for a gradual introduction of speed work after your aerobic base has been built and after you have gradually been building the amount of SHIRV training and lactate threshold training into your program during the transition phase.


  1. Warm up thoroughly. This is probably the most important muscle to warm-up and stretch before a workout.
  2. Stretching after the workout may be helpful.
  3. Try adding a couple sessions per week of retro-running or backward running which has been should decrease knee pain and hamstring injuries.
  4. Follow the "Ten Percent Rule" and limit training increases in volume or distance to no more than ten percent per week.
  5. Other ways to prevent injury are to avoid doing too much, too soon, avoid drastic increases in intensity or duration, and take it easy if you are fatigued.




Treatment for a Hamstring Injury


RICE : Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation. For a Hamstring injury, immediate application of ice and taking or applying of anti-inflammatory medication is mandatory. Later, rest and gentle compression should be used. In rehabilitation, rest is important followed by very gentle stretching and then gentle strengthening before any more vigorous therapy is undertaken. All hard speed work must be eliminated until the injury has recovered fully. Care must be taken to avoid re-injury. When training after an injury the stride should be shortened to avoid stressing the injury.

An injured athlete must ease into any speed work. Forget practicing any quick and explosive starts until the injury in fully healed. A thorough warming up must be undertaken before any training and once a training session is complete a thorough warm down should be undertaken and a gentle stretching.

A severe tear, involving a lot of muscle tissue, may need to be stitched together by a surgeon. However, if the tear is minor, your doctor may decide that you need no more than a conventional rehabilitation programme, which you should follow completely.

Treatment may include injections, and various forms of physiotherapy. But the most important factor in recovery is regaining full flexibility in the muscles, and efficient function. If you try to resume your sport before you have completed the whole recovery process, you are making a recurrence of the problems inevitable.

The problem with overuse injuries to the hamstring is that they tend to recur. Even if they do not develop to the stage of an acute tear, they will limit your ability to run, sprint, hop, and stretch your leg out.









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