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Hamstring Injury Treatment

The immediate treatment for a hamstring injury should always be rest, ice, compression and elevation for at least the 72 hours following the injury – this will alleviate the risk of any bleeding in the area and allow further treatment to be successful.

It is important to use ice on the affected area as soon as is practical but remember that this should not be applied directly to the skin, wrap in a damp towel and then apply for around 15 minutes. The patient needs to be laid comfortably with the affected leg raised above their head height, this helps to return the blood flow to the heart and reduce swelling and pain. Compression bandaging can be used safely.

If necessary, the patient will be given crutches to ensure they do not put any weight on the injury whilst it is healing and being treated by a sports massage therapist or a physiotherapist.

Treatment is dominated by the stretching and gentle exercising of the hamstring followed by a excellent maintenance regime to help reduce the risk of re-inury. This however, should not be attempted until such time as the area is:

  • not painful to touch
  • can be gently stretched without causing pain
  • does not cause pain first thing in the morning ( after sleeping the night) and can be exercised gently – light to moderate level

Once the hamstring is ready for exercising again you can begin rehabilitation gently; this can be achieved by stretching after a warm-up walk or gentle warm up on the exercise bike. This will allow the hamstring to return to normal length and reduce the instances of reinjury when the patient returns to sports.

Initial stretching after injury will need to be limited by the discomfort or pain level in the patient, where the patient can cope with it, this should only be for 10 – 20 seconds. The limits of flexibility will be better than or equal to, the opposite leg before your physiotherapist suggests a return to playing sport.

Points to remember for stretching post injury:

  • 5-10 minutes of gentle exercise to warm up before stretching – this could be walking or using an exercycle
  • 20 or 30 second stretches in sets of 3 are sufficient
  • When stretching, hold it just to the point of tension
  • Take it slowly, there should be no excessive tension or discomfort during the stretching
  • Stretching assists after injury but it is important to do these pre and post activity also.

Many athletes suffer from Ham String Tendonitis due to the original injury not being treated correctly – it is important that you seek assistance for this from your medical practitioner to ensure you do not have repeated ham string injuries that could lead to your not being able to play the sport in the future.

The Brooks Clinic specializes in treating whiplash injuries. We are located in Midtown, downtown, Oklahoma City. Call us today and we’ll give you a free consultation with absolutely no strings attached.

Call Us at 1-405-943-0303