Aches and pains on the back of your legs may be a sign of a hamstring injury. Your hamstring is a group of muscles located on the back of your thighs. Strain in these muscles is relatively common, especially in people who play sports that involve sprinting, like soccer, basketball, or track. Mild hamstring injuries may respond well to rest, over-the-counter OTC medications, and ice, but more severe cases may take months to heal. Read on to learn more about what causes injury to the hamstring, how to get relief from the pain, and when to see your doctor.
The main cause of injury to the hamstring is muscle overload. Strains and tears happen when the muscle is lengthening as it contracts or shortens. They may also happen if the muscle is stretched too far or is taxed too suddenly. When you sprint, for example, your hamstring muscles must contract repeatedly as your leg lengthens with your stride. All this lengthening and loading of the muscles creates a perfect environment for injury. You may feel anything from sudden pain, to a popping or snapping feeling in your leg.
Your hamstring may feel tender and you might even see bruising at the site of your injury. Hamstring strain is commonly seen in people who participate in the following activities:. Older athletes who walk as their primary form of exercise are also at higher risk. So are adolescents whose bodies are still growing.
This means that any force or stress to the muscles, like a jump or impact, may leave them vulnerable to tearing. You may have heard the acronym RICE before. It may help you get better, faster. OTC pain medications may help ease your discomfort with a hamstring injury. Place the roller just above the back of your knee and roll upward in the direction of blood flow to massage the muscles.
Professional sports massage may also help with your pain. If you have a complete tear, recovery can take about 3 months. It might take slightly longer if you get surgery. Your doctor will let you know when you can go back to work. If you have a physically demanding job, you might need to stay home for most of your recovery time. This will improve your outlook and reduce the risk of re-injury.
Most hamstring tears are caused by athletic injuries. Typically, partial tears heal in 4 to 8 weeks, while complete tears take about 3 months. You should start to feel better with regular physical therapy and lots of rest. Hamstring pain can vary from mild to severe. We'll explain how to treat it and when you need to see a doctor. When it comes to sports, injuries are an unfortunate part of the game.
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Learn about five exercises that can help with this condition. Enthesopathy refers to pain and inflammation around your joints. This includes your wrists, knees, and ankles.
Here's how to recognize and treat it. Health Conditions Discover Plan Connect. Medically reviewed by Timothy Gossett, M. An imbalance in the size of your leg muscles. The quadriceps, the muscles at the front of your legs, is often larger and more powerful than your hamstring muscles. When you do an activity that involves running, the hamstring muscles can get tired more quickly than the quadriceps, putting them at greater risk of a strain.
Poor technique. If you don't have a good running technique, it can increase the stress on your hamstring muscles. Returning to activities too quickly after an injury. Hamstring strains need plenty of time and rest to heal completely. Trying to come back from a strain too soon will make you more likely to injure your hamstring again.
Jog in place for a minute or two, or do some jumping jacks to get your muscles going. Then do some dynamic stretching — ask your coach or an athletic trainer to show you how. After you play, do some static stretches where you gently stretch your muscles, holding each stretch for 30 seconds or more. Keep your muscles strong and flexible year-round. Get regular exercise and adopt a good stretching program so your muscles don't get a shock when you do an intense workout.
Increase the duration and intensity of your exercise slowly. If you feel pain in your thigh, stop your activity immediately. If you're worried that you might have strained your hamstring, give it time to rest and don't go back to your activity until your leg feels strong, you have no pain, and you can move your injured leg as freely as the other one.
What's the Treatment for a Hamstring Strain? Limit the amount of walking you do, and try to avoid putting weight on your leg if your doctor recommends this.
Use a bag of ice or a cold compress to help reduce swelling for the first 48 hours after the injury. This should begin as soon as possible after the injury and then every 3 to 4 hours for 20 to 30 minutes at a time until the swelling is gone. Wrap the ice or ice pack in a towel. Don't put ice or ice packs directly on the skin because it can cause tissue damage. C ompress. Use elastic bandages or sports wraps to help support your leg and keep the swelling down if your doctor recommends doing so.
Doctors recommend using elastic compression bandages instead of compression shorts because you can adjust the bandages as needed. E levate.
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