Hamstring Strains - Treatment and Rehabilitation

Hamstring strains are commonly associated with sports that involve sprinting. They are one of the most common non-contact injuries in football, soccer and other running sports.

Hamstring strains frequently occur when an athlete is sprinting and their leg is extended forward. Hamstring muscles contract while in their longest position to slow down an extending knee and flexing hip. This vulnerable position creates an increased risk for injury.

After suffering a hamstring strain, proper rehabilitation and a safe progression back to sport is important in order to prevent another hamstring injury.

• A previous hamstring injury is one of the top risk factors for having another.
• Chronic (reoccurring) hamstring pain can lead to increased time away from sport.

How Do I Know if I Have a Hamstring Strain?

• Athletes may feel a pull or pop while running or may just have pain after activity that persists.
• Some athletes experience bruising and swelling while others do not.
• Research suggests that flexibility and strength deficits occur immediately after hamstring injury, and strength deficits can persist even after athletes return to sport.

I Pulled My Hamstring. Now What?

Proper rest and rehabilitation are essential in order to return to sport in a timely manner and without reinjury.

• Rehabilitation after initial injury includes a period of rest, ice, gentle stretching and gentle strengthening.
• After the initial injury phase, rehabilitation may progress to include advanced strengthening, massage, more aggressive stretching and eccentric strengthening (strengthening while muscle is lengthening) in order to mimic the demands of running and sport.
• Certain strengthening exercises can be done after rehabilitation is complete in order to maintain hamstring strength to prevent risk of reinjury.
• Toward the end of rehabilitation, it is important to progress through pain-free, sport-specific skills with good form prior to full return to sport.
• A physical therapist can create an individualized sport-specific progression back to each athlete’s sport.

If you are experiencing persistent pain after a bone and/or muscle injury, talk to your primary care physician. The Sports and Orthopedic Physical Therapy team at Nationwide Children’s Hospital offers services at several locations throughout the Columbus area. To request an evaluation, call (614) 722-2200 or request an appointment online.