Hamstring Strain
It is a significant stretch or tear of the muscle fibers in the hamstring muscles located at the back of the thigh.
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Synonyms for calf strain:
- Muscle tear
- Muscle strain
- Myo-aponeurotic lesion
What is a hamstring strain?
It is a significant stretch or tear of the muscle fibers in the hamstring muscles located at the back of the thigh.
What are the causes of a hamstring strain?
A calf strain occurs when a significant force is applied to the muscles through contraction or stretching.
This can be caused by:
- A rapid change of direction while playing a sport
- A rapid and sudden movement of the hip or leg
- Rapid acceleration while running (such as when starting a sprint)
What are the risk factors for developing a hamstring strain?
- Having had a previous hamstring injury
- Athletes who play sports that involve running or require significant stretching of the hamstring muscles, such as:
- Soccer, football, rugby, dance, hurdles
What are the symptoms of a hamstring strain?
The symptoms are:
- Sharp, sudden pain in the back of the thigh that appears immediately at the time of the injury (feels like a stab)
- The pain may radiate down the back of the thigh to the knee.
- The pain is often increased by:
- Bending forward
- Doing a squat
- Climbing stairs or a hill
- Sitting with pressure on the back of the thigh
- There may or may not be bruising on the back of the thigh.
"If the pain came on gradually without a specific incident, it is not a strain."
How is a hamstring strain diagnosed?
Diagnosis is possible based on the history of symptoms and a clinical examination.
When should I see a physiotherapist for a hamstring strain?
You should consult a physiotherapist if you have symptoms as described above or if your doctor has already ruled out any other cause that may be responsible for your pain.
You do not need to see a doctor before consulting a physiotherapist. If your condition requires you to see a doctor, your physiotherapist will be able to tell you.
What physiotherapy treatments are available for a hamstring strain?
As with all traumatic injuries, we must let the body do its natural healing work.
"Inflammation is a normal and necessary process for proper healing. There is therefore no miracle way to speed up healing."
However, it is very important to make sure to eliminate all factors that could slow down healing. Here are some examples of things that could slow down healing:
- Worries or fears related to the injury or pain
- Improper dosage of exercises and daily activities
- Poor biomechanics of your movements
- Stiffness in the joints or muscles
"That's why your physiotherapist can help you optimize the healing of the injury. Your physio will guide you in the best possible direction to ensure that the injury heals effectively."
Think of healing from a traumatic injury like taking care of a plant. Pulling on the plant won't make it grow faster. However, you can make sure it gets enough water, sunlight, and fertilizer. We want to put the plant in a good environment to heal. It's the same for a traumatic injury.
Your physiotherapist will perform an assessment to determine your limitations and the severity of the injury by evaluating the following elements:
- Your joint mobility
- The gliding of your nerves
- The quality of your movements
- Your strength and stability
Based on the assessment results, your physiotherapist will:
- Mobilize your joints and nerves to reduce pain and improve your movement
- Give you specific exercises to re-educate the control of your joint movements.
- Give you exercises to regain mobility, reduce pain and regain your muscle strength.
- Teach you how to properly manage your daily activities and hobbies to optimize healing
- Give you advice for your posture and movements.
What to do at home for a hamstring strain?
As with any traumatic injury, follow the PEACE and LOVE principles. Read the blog post on PEACE and LOVE (coming soon), and then read the advice here that applies to hamstring strains.
PEACE and LOVE tips specific to hamstring strain:
(make sure you have read the blog post that explains the PEACE and LOVE steps in detail)
For C = Compression:
Use a compression bandage or taping to wrap around your thigh.
For L = Load:
- Start walking and putting weight on the leg gradually, without significantly increasing the pain. Wait until you are no longer limping before increasing the duration of your walks.
- From the 2nd day after the injury, you can start contracting the painful muscle with a pain level of 4/10 or less if you respect the following:
- Pain after exercise decreases in less than 30 minutes
- During exercise, there are no leg cramps or sudden sharp pain
- The next day, you should be able to do the same exercise again
For V = Vascularisation:
Light to moderate pain-free cardio activity speeds up recovery. For a hamstring strain, you can:
- Do stationary cycling without pain
- Swim without pain
If you don't see any improvement after 10 days, you should consult a physiotherapist.
If you're a runner, check out our blog post on running (link coming soon) for practical tips.
Did you know?
- Hamstring injuries are the most common injuries in soccer.
Sources
- Poudel B, Pandey S. Hamstring Injury. StatPearls [Internet]. 2020 Jun 3.
- Thorborg, K. (2020). "Prevention and Rehabilitation of Hamstring Injuries ". Springer.
- Ernlund L, de Almeida Vieira L. Hamstring injuries: update article. Revista Brasileira de Ortopedia (English Edition). 2017 Jun 1;52(4):373-82.
- Dubois B, Esculier JF. Soft-tissue injuries simply need PEACE and LOVE.
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