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Hamstring injuries are conditions that often occur in sports such as soccer athletes, runners, skaters, and basketball players.
This condition can also occur during similar sports that involve sprinting with sudden stops and starts.
Usually, this injury occurs when you stretch or pull one of your hamstring muscles, which is the group of 3 muscles that runs along the back of your thigh.
This muscle group allows you to bend your legs and knees.
Quoting the Mayo Clinic , in a severe hamstring injury, the muscle can tear or even detach from its connection to the pelvis or shin.
Hamstring injuries can also be very painful. Therefore, find out more about hamstring injuries and how to deal with them.
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Hamstring Injury Symptoms
Hamstring injuries usually cause a sudden, sharp pain in the back of the thigh.
When you sustain an injury, you may also feel a "popping" or tearing sensation. Within a few hours, there will be swelling and tenderness.
In addition, you may experience bruising or discoloration along the back of the leg, as well as muscle weakness or an inability to bear weight on the affected leg.
The severity of this injury is divided into 3 degrees mentioned by dr. Christian Silas, Sp. OT (K), Orthopedic Surgeon Specialist Consultant for Sport Injury, Pondok Indah Hospital, Puri Indah.
according to dr. Christian, hamstring injuries can occur in varying degrees of severity. The three grades of hamstring injuries are:
- Grade 1 – mild muscle pull or tension
- Grade 2 – partial muscle tear
- Grade 3 – complete muscle tear.
Muscle Injury or Hamstring Injury?
Hamstring injuries are often associated with muscle injuries, Moms. The following is an explanation from dr. Christian Silas.
The hamstring muscles are made up of three muscles that run along the back of the thigh from the hip to below the knee.
These muscles function to straighten the leg so that it is straight behind the body and to bend the knee.
The hamstring muscles are not used much while standing or walking, but are very active during activities that bend the knee, such as running and jumping.
"So, a muscle injury is not necessarily a hamstring injury, depending on where the injured muscle is," explained dr. Christian Silas to Orami.
Hamstring injuries usually cause a sudden, sharp pain in the back of the thigh.
"Sufferers may also feel the sensation of "popping" or tearing. Swelling and pain usually appear several hours after the injury," he added.
There may also be bruising or discoloration along the back of the leg, as well as muscle weakness or an inability to put weight on the injured leg.
Causes of Hamstring Injury
Quoted from the National Health Service , hamstring injuries often occur during sudden and strong movements, such as running, lunging, or jumping that stretch tendons or muscles.
"A hamstring injury can occur when one of the hamstring muscles is stretched beyond its limits during physical activity.
Hamstring injuries often occur when making sudden and strong movements, such as running fast or jumping that strains tendons or muscles," explained Dr. Christian Silas.
Then, repeated injuries often occur if you have been injured before and the injury is not treated thoroughly.
Injuries can also occur gradually during slower movements. In addition, hamstring injuries are more likely to occur when you don't warm up before exercising .
Moms need to know, there are several risk factors that can increase the occurrence of injury, namely:
Had a previous hamstring injury
According to the Strength and Conditioning Journal , hamstring muscle injuries are very common and can result in a high rate of re-injury.
So, after you've had one hamstring injury, you're more likely to have another.
This is especially true if trying to resume activity at the intensity level before the injury and before the muscles have had time to recover or rebuild strength.
Poor flexibility
If your body has poor flexibility, your muscles may not be able to withstand the full force of action required during certain activities or sports.
Muscle imbalance
While not all experts agree, some say that muscle imbalance can lead to hamstring injuries.
When the muscles along the front of your thigh become stronger and more developed than your hamstring muscles, you may be more likely to injure your hamstring muscles.
Although anyone can experience this injury, those most at risk are:
- Athletes who participate in sports such as football or basketball
- Runner or sprinter
- Dancer
- Older athletes whose main training program is running
- Adolescent athletes who are still in their infancy . This is because bones and muscles do not grow at the same rate. During a growth spurt, a child's bones may grow faster than muscles. Growing bones can pull muscles tight. A sudden jump, stretch , or impact can eventually tear the muscle from its connection to the bone.
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How to treat hamstring injuries
Launching WebMD , minor to moderate hamstring injuries usually heal on their own.
To speed up the healing process, here's how you can do it:
1. Resting Feet
Avoid putting weight on the feet. If the pain of the injury is severe, a person may need to use crutches until the pain goes away.
To find out more about how to treat a hamstring injury, ask your doctor or physical therapist if needed.
2. Compressing Ice Cubes
To reduce pain and swelling, you can compress ice cubes on the injured thigh.
Do it for 20-30 minutes every 3 to 4 hours for 2 to 3 days, or until the hamstring injury pain subsides.
However, do not apply ice directly to the skin. Instead, use a clean towel or cloth as a coating for ice cubes.
3. Wrap Using Bandage
Use an elastic bandage and wrap the thigh where the hamstring injury is, to reduce swelling on the injured part of the body.
Don't forget to lift your feet on a pillow when you're in a sitting or lying position as a tip for treating a hamstring injury.
Elevate your leg higher than your heart while resting to reduce swelling.
4. Take Painkillers
Some types of medication that can treat a hamstring injury are non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs ( NSAIDs ), such as ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin), or naproxen (Aleve, Naprosyn), which will help with pain and swelling.
However, these drugs can have side effects, such as an increased risk of bleeding and ulcers .
Therefore, this drug can only be used in the short term. Don't forget to consult your doctor first before consuming it, OK?
5. Doing Stretching Exercises
Do stretching and strengthening exercises if your doctor or physical therapist recommends them. Strengthening the hamstring is one way to reduce hamstring injuries.
In severe cases where the muscle is torn, a person may need surgery. The surgeon will repair the muscle and reattach it.
6. Healing of Injuries According to Doctors
The initial goal of treatment is to reduce pain and swelling. Moms can do the following things:
- Take breaks from strenuous activities so the injury heals
- Use a cane or crutches to avoid putting full weight on the injured leg
- Ice packs several times a day to relieve pain and reduce swelling
- Wrap the injured area with a compression bandage or wear compression shorts to minimize swelling
- Rest with your feet elevated above heart level if possible
- Take pain relievers to reduce pain and swelling.
7. Other Healing Information
After the initial pain and swelling from a hamstring injury has subsided, you can do exercises to increase flexibility and strengthen your hamstring muscles.
"The length of time it will take to recover from a hamstring injury or tear will depend on how severe the injury is.
Mild muscle strain or strain (grade 1) may take a few days to heal, whereas recovery from a muscle tear (grade 2 or 3) can take weeks or months," said Dr. Christian Silas.
If the muscle has slipped from where it is connected to the pelvis or shinbone, an orthopedic surgeon, a sports injury consultant, can reattach it.
Severe muscle tears can also be repaired. This repair can be done with minimally invasive arthroscopy surgery .
"The doctor will make a small incision to insert the camera and tools into the part to be repaired.
The small wounds from this action can make the recovery process faster compared to ordinary surgery," said Dr. Christian Silas.
Hamstring injuries can be prevented with a thorough physical conditioning program.
Regular stretching and strengthening exercises, as well as warming up before exercise can also help reduce your risk of hamstring injuries.
Hamstring Injury Complications
If the hamstring injury has healed, but returns to doing strenuous physical activity, there is a risk of a recurrence of the injury.
"In determining the diagnosis, the orthopedic surgeon specialist for sports injury consultants will conduct interviews and physical examinations.
During the physical exam, the doctor checks for swelling and pain points along the back of the thigh.
The location and intensity of the pain can help determine the extent and nature of the damage," said Dr. Christian Silas.
The doctor will also move the injured leg into various positions to help determine which muscle is injured and see if you also have damaged ligaments or tendons .
"With a severe hamstring injury, the muscle can tear or even detach from where it connects to the pelvis or shin.
Sometimes a small piece of bone can be pulled out during an injury (avulsion fracture).
Examination with X-Ray can see broken bones (avulsions), while ultrasound and MRI can visualize tears in muscles and tendons," concluded Dr. Christian Silas.
So, that's complete information about hamstring injuries that Moms and Dads can know, hope this is useful!