Muscle Lab: Pulled Hamstring Treatment & Recovery Plan

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PULLED HAMSTRING
TREATMENT & RECOVERY PLAN

Are you suffering from a hamstring pull? Check out Muscle Labs Recovery page and learn more about your injury, our treatment methods and preventative measures to take for next time around.

TREATMENT PLAN
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HOW TO TREAT A HAMSTRING INJURY

STEP 1:

TREATMENT ASSESMENT

Your healing journey will begin with an injury assessment with one of our Muscle Lab therapists, through this session you will explain your injury in depth. Our main focus is how you became injured, how long you've been in pain and any complications you're experiencing from it.

STEP 2:

COMPRESSION THERAPY

Normatec compression therapy is an effective first option when dealing with any hamstring injury, through these compression boots you'll be able to increase blood circulation around the injured area. This increase in oxygenated blood to the muscle fibers speeds up your recovery time and helps drain any lymphatic fluid in the area.

STEP 3:

CUPPING THERAPY

Cupping therapy is not limited to your back muscles! This holistic therapy option helps to reduce any tension in the muscle that may be causing pain and stiffness in mobility. These suction cups promote blood flow in the affected area which reduces inflammation caused by the injury. This increase in blood supply to the muscles increases mobility in your hamstring muscles and helps to reduce pain from injury.

STEP 4:

CRYOTHERAPY

Cold therapy is one of the most effective treatments for any strain or pull as it cools the inflamed muscles. We offer both whole body cryotherapy and localized cryotherapy for anyone who may be in pain. Cryotherapy works in reducing inflammation and swelling of your hamstring muscles through the use of liquid nitrogen. The benefits of one 3 minute cryotherapy session are equivalent to icing your injury for 35 minutes at home.

STEP 5:

STRENGTH AND BALANCE TRAINING

An important aspect of your recovery is maintaining strength in your muscles and not reducing mobility. Studies have shown that incorporating exercise sessions focusing on eccentric contraction have significantly reduced recovery time. The use of our stretch therapy sessions decreases your probability of re-injuring yourself and aiding hamstring flexibility through the use of a professional. In this session you'll experience passive stretching where our therapist can assess your flexibility. knowing your bodies natural limits helps to prevent re-injury as well as have a basis for growth.

HAMSTRING PULL

The hamstring muscle group is a complex unit consisting of three individual muscles that act together in order to perform daily activities. These performance muscles have a diverse range in activity as they support standing positions as well as more explosive actions such as jumping and sprinting.

For a deeper understanding of the Hamstring muscles, we'll review the structure and function of this muscle group. The three muscles consist of the semitendinosus muscle which is located at the posterior and medial aspect of the thigh. The semimembranosus, which is located medially of the other two muscles. Lastly, the Biceps femoris muscle which lies within the posterior compartment of the thigh.

A Hamstring pull or hamstring injury is a fairly common amongst recreational and elite athletes, this type of injury may be slow healing when unattended to and you may experience re-injury at some point. Straining of the hamstring is often due to overuse injury of the biceps femoris within the muscle group. Complications when attempting knee flexion and hip extension are often indicators injury has occurred within the muscle fibers.

CAUSES

There are various ways someone may experience hamstring muscle injuries within their training or daily activities. This type of injury most likely occurs during high risk activities such as sprinting; this activity involves high levels of speed and rapid directional changes of the muscle.

Challenging your hamstring muscles with a sudden heavier load and stretching them beyond their natural limits is a sure fire way to experience injury to the muscle group. Hamstring strains often happen as a person both lengthen and contracts their muscle group.

Low levels of mobility and muscle imbalance in the back of the thigh can often lead someone to experience a hamstring muscle injury. Muscle tightness in the quadriceps muscle group located on the front of the thigh can lead to tightening of the hamstrings as your pelvis is pulled forward. Hamstring and glutes work with one another so weak glutes may leave you vulnerable to an injury as your hamstring muscles become overworked.

SYMPTOMS

The symptoms of a hamstring strain depends on the severity of the pull you experienced. these symptoms may range from mild discomfort of the hamstring to severe pain in the thigh. Some general symptoms of a hamstring injury include:

  • Sudden or severe pain in the back of your thigh, possibly associated with a popping sound in severe cases
  • Pain in lower buttocks region and hamstring when activating muscle by walking, running or jumping
  • Complications with knee flexion, knee extension and hip extension
  • Tenderness often associated as pain and swelling
  • bruises are often associated with more severe injuries involving muscle tearing.

GRADES OF HAMSTRING PULLS

An important factor to consider when assessing your treatment options if the grade of your hamstring injury. Hamstring strains are broken down into grades depending on the severity of the injury. knowing this will aid in determining your recovery plan.

Grade 1 Hamstring pull:

A grade 1 Hamstring strain/pull is the least intense injury of the three options, this may happen when overextending the muscle. With a grade 1 injury you may experience minimum discomfort and slight functional impairment with little to no physical muscle tearing.

Grade 2 Hamstring pull:

A grade 2 hamstring injury is characterized by partial muscular tearing of the muscle group. With this injury you may experience increased pain and swelling, reduced range of motion of the leg and overall strength loss.

Grade 3 Hamstring pull:

A grade 3 hamstring injury is the most severe of the three and may need medical attention if persisting. This injury includes severe pain, tearing of the muscle fibers and hamstring tendons, significant strength loss and hematoma.

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