Sports Medicine
Medicine > Treatment > Hamstring Tears
Hamstring Muscle Injuries
A common sporting injury is a pulled hamstring muscle, also called hamstring tear or strain. Such as injury is caused by over-stretching one of the three hamstring muscles at the back of the thigh, and is common in sprinting.
Description
- Grade 1 Tear: Athlete can walk and possibly slow run with very little or no pain. Fast running may cause pain.
- Grade 2 Tear: Athlete feels pain when walking. Any running causes definite pain.
- Grade 3 Tear: Athlete can't walk without aid or with definite pain.
Causes
There are several possible causes of a hamstring injury:
- due to the relative inflexibility in this area.
- an over-stretch of the muscle due to the muscle being fatigued and tight, or after inadequate warm-up.
- muscle strength imbalance between the strength of quadriceps and hamstring muscles.
- overuse, which gradually gets worse as you continue the activity that caused the problem.
Treatment
The first and best treatment for any hamstring tear should be RICE - Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation. Anti-inflammatory medication is also very beneficial. After a period of RICE treatment, rest and followed by very gentle stretching and then gentle strengthening before any more vigorous treatments are undertaken. Care must be taken to avoid re-injury, as it is very common for the injury to reappear. A severe tear may require surgery.
Prevention
The following steps can help ensure a hamstring injury does not occur or reoccur.
- the hamstring muscles muscles should be developed at the same rate as other legs muscles,
- good flexibility should be maintained and adequate warm-up is performed before all sprint type activities.
- training should have a progression to build up and gradually transition to harder and faster workouts.
Related Pages
- more about the Hamstring Muscles
- see treatment for other sporting injuries
- muscles of the human body
