Hamstring Tears

Hamstring Tears

A rip in the hamstring muscles is known as a hamstring tear injury. It happens when hamstrings are overloaded with too much weight or are overstretched. It largely depends on the type of injury, whether the hamstring has been injured completely or partially.

The types of injury affecting one or more of the muscles in the hamstring muscle group are:

• Biceps femoris
• Semitendinosus
• Semimembranosus

These muscles are located in the back of the thigh. It helps to build your knees during activities like jumping and running.

Possible Causes

Physical activity causes hamstring tears. The most common causes of this type of injury are:

• Past Hamstring injury

If you’ve previously ripped your hamstring, there’s a reasonable risk it’ll happen again. The risk runs high if you engage in intense activity before you have completely recovered.

• Athletes Injury

Extreme stretching of muscles during sports or overload during a sport causes this injury. These injuries are common among people who play sports like football, ice hockey, and soccer.

• Overtraining

A hamstring tear can be the result of training too hard on the machines.

• Poor Flexibility

Limited flexibility is a condition where specific movements can make your muscles stretch too far. We often lose our flexibility with age, and so aged people are prone to hamstring tears. Adolescent athletes, too, are placed in the high-risk zone. As bones and muscles grow disproportionately, the growing bone can tighten the muscles causing hamstring injury.

Signs and Symptoms

The symptoms of torn hamstring depend on the type of injury received. You can experience the following:

• A popping sensation at the place of injury
• Tenderness
• A sudden sharp pain
• Bruising within a few days
• Swelling within a few hours
• Partial or complete weakness in your legs
• Inability to place a weight in your legs

Diagnosis

During the physical examination, first look for swelling and points of tenderness. The doctor may recommend you get MRI to get a clear picture of muscles and tendons.

Treatment Options at 7DMC

Minor hamstring injury heals fast, but if it’s a major one, some of these steps must be taken at their earliest.

• Ice your legs:Our doctors advise the application of ice to the legs for 30-40 minutes, followed by a gap of three to four hours. It will surely help get fast relief from pain.
• Rest the leg:You should avoid putting weight on the leg. If the pain is severe, you will need a crutch for moving around. 
• Compress your legs:The therapist wraps up an elastic bandage around the injury to avoid swelling.
• Elevate your legs:You can use a pillow to elevate your legs when lying down or sitting.
• Take anti-inflammatory painkillers:Anti-inflammatory painkillers will help to reduce pain or swelling. They come along with the side effects.

Practicing stretching and strengthening exercises is highly recommended.

Hamstring strains are nasty injuries, and an athlete must work hard and avoid them. A regular- warm-up before engaging in any physical activity is the easy way out.

As part of the overall physical conditioning program at 7DMC, regular stretching and strengthening exercises helps reduce your risk of a hamstring injury. Try to stay in shape to play the sport; don’t play your game to remain in form. Regular fitness might help prevent injuries if you work in a physically demanding career. Inquire with our physician about proper conditioning workouts.