The hamstrings are a group of three muscles that cover the back of the thigh, running from the sit bone to the top of the calf. They are responsible for bending the knee and kicking backwards at the hip. The sciatic nerve is a close neighbour running centrally down the back of the thigh tucked in between the hamstrings.
‘Doing a hamstring’ is a well-known injury for athletes and can result in lengthy time away from sport. It is commonly caused by high effort sprinting. The hamstrings can also be injured in the general population, often with sudden stretching such as slipping and tripping.
The severity of a muscle injury is described in 3 grades.
Grade 1 is an overstretching of the fibres without tearing. It hurts a lot at the time but settles quickly within a few days or weeks. There may be residual weakness, but most people don’t notice it.
Grade 2 is a partial tearing of the muscle. Depending on the size of the tear there can be considerable bruising and limited function. Regardless of the size of the tear, it takes 6 weeks for a muscle to heal. People with a small tear will find they can do most things, but can’t sprint and fully stretch the muscle until it has recovered.
Grade 3 is a complete tear either off the bone, or through the belly of the muscle. The bruising can be spectacular. Function is limited initially, but resolves surprisingly well in the first 1-2 weeks.
A grade 3 tear needs discussion about prognosis and treatment options. Remember that the hamstrings are a group of 3 muscles, so you can lose one completely and still have a lot of muscle to compensate with. Surgery is an option in some instances, otherwise we simply strengthen the remaining muscles to make up the difference.
The importance of rehab
The biggest mistake that people make with hamstring injuries is not finishing their rehab. It’s tempting to not finish, or not even start rehab, because you can still do most things in life. It feels fine, until you want to do that 100% activity like sprinting or quickly stretching. Hamstrings are highly prone to re-injury if they are not properly strengthened. Even grade 1 injuries benefit from rehab, because small injuries can weaken the muscle enough to put you at risk of a larger tear.
Rehab can begin in the first one to two weeks after injury. A good rehab program will involve a variety of exercises because the hamstrings do a variety of jobs. The exercises will gradually progress in their stretch and weight until you reach your goals for return to sport and life. Most of the rehab can be done at home once our Physios give you the knowhow.
If you suspect a problem with your hamstring, give one of our clinics a call and book in with one of our experienced Physios!
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