Hamstring Muscle Injury

Acute Hamstring Muscle Injury Management

Consult your professional/s for treatment and rehabilitation as these are academic principle guidelines only and not prescriptive.
ASSIC does not dispense medical and/or exercise advice.
Consult your professional regarding exercise, treatment and rehabilitation exercise regimes and medical advise.
The contents of the following web page are principle guidelines and must be utilized under the supervision of a relevant medical and/or exercise professional.

The hamstring muscle complex consists of 3 muscle groups that include the Semimembranosus, Semitendinosus and Biceps femoris muscles.

Acute muscle injury can occur in any of these three muscles.

Injury mechanism:

Hamstring strains are usually sprint-related or stretch-related

Hamstring strains are classified from grade 1-3, with grade 3 being the most severe.

Diagram showing the 2 common sites of muscle injury:

Sudden, sharp pain at the back of the thigh occurring during sprinting or while performing a fast stretching movement.

Protection
Rest
Ice
Compression
Splint or brace, where appropriate
Elevation
Surgery, where indicated
Non surgery management includes conservative treatment, followed by ankle rehabilitation
Follow rehabilitation protocol as indicated by your rehabilitation specialist/s

Applying ice to injured area

Timeframes for rehabilitation and return to sport vary depending on the nature and severity of the strain.
Generally Grade 1 hamstring strains require rest for about three weeks and Grade 2 injuries for between four to eight weeks. In the case of a complete rupture (Grade 3 strain), the muscle may require surgical repair and the rehabilitation to follow will take about three months.
Premature return to sport and inadequate rehabilitation will increase the risk of re-injury. Full range of motion and strength should be achieved in addition to the ability to perform full speed training. Assessment of sport-related activities, such as twisting, jumping and changing direction suddenly should also be evaluated.

Hamstring strengthening ranges from initial ROM (range of motion) exercises to resistance training.

Both stretching and strengthening exercises are key.

After the initial acute stage, very gentle static stretching exercises can begin as long as one is pain-free.

As your injury heals, dynamic stretching involving movement is introduced and eventually progressing to sports-specific and plyometric drills.

Example of Hamstring resistance training using weights. Other resistance modalities include resistance band training.