Pulled Hamstring Muscle

Injuries in the making

Lorene is an athlete in her 30s who's in fantastic shape. If a sport is fast and furious, she goes for it, from autocross driving to ski racing to ice skating. But Lorene innocently made a serious mistake, and now she's down for the next three or more months - and she eventually may even need surgery. Are you making the same mistake?</p><p> It started (note the word "STARTED") when this recreational athlete went ice skating about six months ago. As she zoomed around the rink at full speed, a child suddenly skated across the rink, right in front of her. Lorene quickly turned to avoid running into the kid, but in doing so, she yanked the top of her right hamstring, near the butt.</p><p> It wasn't a serious pull, but every time she went around a rink corner, she could feel it. She paid no attention to what her hamstring muscle was telling her - which was: "Wow, I've been pulled, some of my fibers are ripped, they're bleeding into other fibers, I need to stop this microtrauma from getting worse, I need to rest up and heal." </p><p> The hamstring also needed a little ice and some stretching. Had that been done, the microtrauma to the muscle would have fully healed and been no further trouble.</p><p> Instead, Lorene went to bed - without stretching. The next morning, she went for a run with a friend; they pushed each other a little. In the middle of the run, the hamstring began protesting again. And again, Lorene didn't listen.</p><p> Cutting to the chase, Lorene ignored the occasional shooting pain in the back of her thigh because it was a very mild and intermittent pain. But then it began hurting more frequently, and the pain got worse. Finally, she slipped on some grass in a game of Frisbee, went down hard, and instantly knew she was in trouble. The pain in her hamstring was strong and serious.</p><p> So counting the co-payment her insurance didn't cover, including the fat fee for an MRI, Lorene's mistake cost her both financially and physically. She learned that she had badly sprained her hamstring and also had a partial tear. Because the earlier "micro" injury had never been given the chance to heal, it turned chronic, which weakened the entire muscle as more fibers were injured. The sprain and tear was an injury just waiting to happen.</p><p> I could tell you about Bob's torn rotator cuff that came from not resting his baseball pitching arm after a partial dislocation that slid back into place, or Lou's now-constant knee pain that originally came from a fall on his bike - and you probably have your own stories of injuries so minor that they couldn't at first even be called injuries. But all these athletes - and maybe you as well - ended up injured because they all got back into the game too soon.</p><p> Yes, it's normal to want to stay active. It's an emotional pain to have to rest a muscle, tendon or ligament for a month or so; in summer, it's especially hard to do. But any tissue pull will only get worse if it isn't given time to heal. How will you know when it's healed? Simple: the tissue will no longer hurt if you use it.</p><p> White tissues; ligaments and tendons, take the longest to heal. One way to speed up the healing process is to stretch regularly. Hold the stretch position, don't bounce (but you knew that, right?). New growth is slower in a contracted, stiff tendon or ligament. When you get back into your favorite activity again, do it gently at first. Get the tissues again accustomed to a full range of motion. Make sure to increase your effort gradually, and immediately stop if you feel any kind of pain.</p><p> Taking time out to heal an insignificant minor tissue injury will do a lot to keep it from turning into a major time out.</p><p> Wina Sturgeon is the editor of the online magazine Adventure Sports Weekly (adventuresportsweekly.com). For the latest in training and workout information, go to: adventuresportsweekly.

How to Avoid Pulling a Hammy | Maplewood BootCamps

Located on the back of your thighs, your hamstrings are a group of muscles that are key to your ability to take off running from a standstill. They also make it possible for you to perform the less strenuous task of walking.

If you’re not careful, you can pull a hamstring muscle, which can cause significant pain and reduced quality of life. From sudden pain in the back of your thigh to bruising or muscle weakness in the hamstring to an inability to bear weight on the affected leg, an injured hamstring should not be taken lightly.

So what can you do to offer maximum protection to your hamstrings?

Want to keep your hamstrings from injury? The first step is to make them stronger. There are a lot of great exercises that can help you do this, and one of the simplest is to lie on your back on the ground. While bending your right leg and holding it with both hands behind the knee, allow your left leg to extend out completely on the floor. Slowly straighten your right leg until it is pointed directly overhead. Hold the position for a moment and return to the starting position. Repeat 15 times and then switch legs for another set.

In addition to having strong hamstrings, you should make sure they’re ready for exercise when you’re about to hit the court or field. Hamstring stretches are some of the most common stretches people do, so you probably already have a few of them up your sleeve. Good choices include touching your toes while standing up (bend at the knees if needed) or sitting down on the ground with one leg extended and bending over your legs to touch your toes. Another good hamstring stretch is placing one foot on a step and flexing your foot upward, while leaning your body forward.

Not a world-class athlete? Then you shouldn’t push your body like one. To avoid hamstring injuries that often occur, know your body’s limits and don’t push it to the point of pain. Feel yourself getting tired and a little bit sloppy? Call it a day and get some rest. Otherwise, your likelihood of hamstring injury increases substantially. You should also know yourself well enough to be cautious when trying out new activities. As hamstring injuries frequently occur while skiing, kicking, dancing, running, jumping, and lifting weights, be particularly careful when trying these activities for the first time – or for the first time in a while.

American Medical Association family medical guide

Science of flexibility

The encyclopedia of the muscle and skeletal systems and disorders

Introduction to sports medicine & athletic training

Track technique