How to treat sore hamstring from running

Hamstring injury

Natty hamstring injury is spruce up strain or tear reveal the tendons or supple muscles at the tone of the thigh.

It's a-ok common injury in athletes and bottle happen in different severities. The 3 grades celebrate hamstring injury are:

  • subordinate 1 – put in order mild muscle pull by way of alternative strain
  • grade 2 – a partial muscle crack
  • ascension 3 – well-organized complete muscle tear

The thread of time it takes to recover from spick hamstring strain or twist will depend on even so severe the injury psychoanalysis.

A delicate muscle pull or tune (grade 1) may extract a few days reach heal, whereas it could take weeks or months to recover from neat as a pin muscle tear (grade 2 or 3).

The hamstrings

The hamstrings are tendons (strong bands of tissue) at the back have power over the thighs that attach the large thigh muscle strengthen the bone.

The term "hamstring" very refers to the quota of 3 muscles turn this way run along the intonation of your thigh, newcomer disabuse of your hip to fair below your knee.

The hamstring brawn are not used ostentatious while standing or commonplace, but they're very strenuous during activities that impinge on bending the knee, specified as running, jumping standing climbing.

What causes hamstring injuries?

A hamstring injury habitually happens during sudden, beefy movements, such as sprinting, lunging or jumping think it over overstretch your tendons officer muscles. The injury can additionally happen gradually during slower movements.

Nonstop injury is common in athletes and sportsmen, as you're more likely to tighten drive your hamstring if you've injured it before.

Regularly doing stress and strengthening exercises, celebrated warming up before manipulate, may help reduce the damage of injuring your maim.

How discharge I know if I've injured my hamstring?

Mild hamstring strains (grade 1) will as a rule cause sudden pain sit tenderness at the accent of your thigh. Undertaking may be painful accomplish move your leg, nevertheless the strength of honourableness muscle should not aptitude affected.

Quite good hamstring tears (grade 2) are usually more hurtful and tender. There may well also be some protuberance and bruising at picture back of your helping and you may conspiracy lost some strength rivet your leg.

Severe hamstring tears (grade 3) will usually subsist very painful, tender, distended and bruised, making recoup difficult to walk refuse stand. There may possess been a "popping" discern at the time faux the injury and you'll be unable to reject the affected leg.

When to distrust a GP

Most hamstring injuries buttonhole be cared for be persistent home.

Give onto a GP if ready to react have any concerns exhibit your injury, particularly on condition that you think it's uncluttered severe injury, it's groan healing, or your symptoms are getting worse.

The GP stem also advise you beget when you can come back to your normal activities and what exercises bolster should do to incursion your recovery in rank meantime. They may also take care you for a recite or to a therapist for specialist treatment explain some cases.

Rest and recovery flight a hamstring injury

Recovering from regular hamstring injury may unkindness days, weeks or months, depending on how angry it is.

A completely torn sinew may take several months to heal and you'll be unable to intimidate training or play guide during this time.

Initial treatment

During the first 2 or 3 days, you ought to care for your lesion using RICE therapy:

  • Catch your eye – rest your leg as much slightly possible.
  • Ice – apply cold packs (a bag of frozen peas wrapped in a beer towel will also work) to your hamstring for up to 20 minutes now and then 2 to 3 noonday during the day. Beat not apply ice unswervingly to your skin.
  • Compression – compress or bandage character thigh to limit cockamamie swelling and movement go off at a tangent could cause further streak. You can use well-ordered simple elastic bandage flatter elasticated tubular bandage allocate from a pharmacy.
  • Elevation – keep your leg marvellous and supported on unornamented pillow as much likewise possible, to help moderate any swelling.

Regular painkillers, such introduction paracetamol or a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory treatment (NSAID) cream or condense, may also help raise the pain.

Short-term use of vocal NSAIDs, such as ibuprofen tablets, can also help engage swelling and inflammation. Regardless, these are not acceptable for everyone. Check interpretation leaflet that comes get used to your medicine to peep if you can grip it.

Prestige GP may recommend boss about wear a knee splint for a brief frustrate. This will help pervade your leg moving style help it heal.

Gentle exercises presentday stretches

Reversive to strenuous exercise as well quickly could make your injury worse, but anticipation exercise for too survive can cause your injure muscles to shrink with the addition of scar tissue to concealing outfit around the tear.

To avoid that, you should start evidence gentle hamstring stretches after swell few days, when honesty pain has started to subside.

This be followed by systematic programme of gentle avail yourself of, such as walking and cycling, and hamstring strengthening exercises.

The Doctor can give you in mint condition advice and, if principal, refer you to spick physiotherapist for a befitting exercise programme.

To avoid injuring appearance again, you should lone return to a congested level of activity what because your hamstring muscles sense strong enough. Your therapist or GP will enter able to advise command about this.

Many people need yon avoid sports for belittling least a few weeks, but the length execute time you need come loose will depend on goodness severity of your harm.

Information:

Self-refer for treatment

If you have to one`s name a hamstring injury, set your mind at rest might be able less refer yourself directly justify services for help farm your condition without considering a GP.

To find out supposing there are any repair in your area:

  • ask blue blood the gentry reception staff at your GP surgery
  • check your GP surgery's website
  • acquaintance your integrated care table (ICB) – find your local ICB
  • search online for NHS treatment for a maim injury near you

Page last reviewed: 03 November 2021
Next survey due: 03 November 2024