Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsPain and SymptomsRecovery TimeTreatmentWalking With Injury
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Pain and Symptoms
Recovery Time
Treatment
Walking With Injury
Hamstringinjuries occur when you strain or tear one of the muscles in the back of your thigh. These injuries are common, especially in athletes whose sports require sprinting, kicking, and changing directions quickly.Hamstring injuries range in severity, and recovery time depends on the extent of your injury.
This article discusses hamstring injuries—what they feel like, how to treat them, expected recovery time, and how to return to your normal activities.
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Pain From a Hamstring Injury
The hamstrings are a set of three muscles on the back of each thigh—semimembranosus,semitendinosus, andbiceps femoris.These muscles begin at the “sit bones” in your buttocks and attach at the back of the knees. Depending on the type of injury, hamstring injuries can cause pain anywhere along the muscle.
Running Mechanics - Hamstring
Hamstring injuries range from a mild strain—sometimes called a “pulled hamstring”—to a complete tear. These injuries are graded based on their severity:
All grades of hamstring injuries can cause significant pain. This pain is typically sharp and comes on suddenly when the injury occurs.
Other symptoms of hamstring injuries can include:
Grade 3 injuries can also cause a “dent” in the thigh where the muscle or tendon is torn and often create an audible popping sound when the injury occurs. They also result in a complete loss of muscle function.
Hamstring Injuries in Sports and ActivitiesAnyone participating in a sport or physical activity involving sprinting, slide tackling, or high kicking may experience a hamstring injury.Some sports and activities in which hamstring injuries occur include:RunningDancingTrack and field sportsFootballSoccerBasketball
Hamstring Injuries in Sports and Activities
Anyone participating in a sport or physical activity involving sprinting, slide tackling, or high kicking may experience a hamstring injury.Some sports and activities in which hamstring injuries occur include:RunningDancingTrack and field sportsFootballSoccerBasketball
Anyone participating in a sport or physical activity involving sprinting, slide tackling, or high kicking may experience a hamstring injury.Some sports and activities in which hamstring injuries occur include:
Healing a Hamstring Injury: How Long Does Recovery Take?
Healing time frames for hamstring injuries depend on the extent of muscle damage that has occurred. Generally, a mild strain can recover within 10 days to three weeks.
A moderate strain usually takes between three weeks and eight weeks to heal.However, moderate strains can take up to six months to fully heal.Moderate strains can also requirephysical therapyto aid in recovery.
Hamstring Tendonitis: Guide to Recovery and Rehabilitation
How to Treat a Hamstring Injury
A healthcare provider should evaluate any suspected hamstring tears immediately.
Initial treatment for mild and moderate hamstring injuries should include the RICE protocol:
Over-the-counter pain relievers, such asTylenol (acetaminophen)andnon-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)such as Aleve (naproxen), Motrin/Advil (ibuprofen), or Bayer (aspirin)—can also help reduce symptoms of a hamstring injury.
After several days, you can apply heat to your hamstrings to increase blood flow, promote healing, anddecrease muscle tightness.
When your pain has decreased, you can gently stretch your hamstrings to improve range of motion and help regain function as you return to daily activities. To ensure the best possible recovery from your injury, consider seeing a physical therapist for an individualizedhamstring exercise program.
Hamstring Stretch
Is Ice or Heat Better for Treating an Injury?
When to Resume Exercise
Walking on a Hamstring Injury
Walking can be quite painful—or even impossible—immediately after a hamstring injury. You might need to walk with an assistive device, such as crutches, while your injury heals.
Crutcheshelp unload body weight from your injured leg. As your pain decreases, you can continue to use crutches while you begin to increase the amount of weight placed on your leg. Eventually, you can progress to using one crutch or a cane (on the side opposite your injury) until you are able to walk without assistance.
If you’ve had surgery to repair your hamstring injury, follow your physical therapist’s instructions for advancing your return to walking as you did before it.
Summary
Hamstring injuries are common in athletes but can affect anyone. These injuries vary in severity and recovery time. Home remedies such as activity modification, ice, compression, and elevation can often treat mild to moderate muscle strains. The complete tearing of a hamstring muscle or tendon requires surgery to heal.
Physical therapy can often speed up the hamstring strain recovery process. Learning how to return to activity safely after these injuries can help reduce the risk of reinjury.
8 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Penn Medicine.Hamstring injuries.American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.Hamstring muscle injuries.Harvard Health Publishing.Muscle strain.Chu SK, Rho ME.Hamstring injuries in the athlete: diagnosis, treatment, and return to play.Curr Sports Med Rep. 2016;15(3):184-190. doi:10.1249/JSR.0000000000000264American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.Muscle strains in the thigh.University of Utah.Hamstring tear & surgery.University of Wisconsin Sports Medicine.Rehabilitation guidelines following proximal hamstring primary repair.MedlinePlus.Hamstring strain—aftercare.
8 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Penn Medicine.Hamstring injuries.American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.Hamstring muscle injuries.Harvard Health Publishing.Muscle strain.Chu SK, Rho ME.Hamstring injuries in the athlete: diagnosis, treatment, and return to play.Curr Sports Med Rep. 2016;15(3):184-190. doi:10.1249/JSR.0000000000000264American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.Muscle strains in the thigh.University of Utah.Hamstring tear & surgery.University of Wisconsin Sports Medicine.Rehabilitation guidelines following proximal hamstring primary repair.MedlinePlus.Hamstring strain—aftercare.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Penn Medicine.Hamstring injuries.American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.Hamstring muscle injuries.Harvard Health Publishing.Muscle strain.Chu SK, Rho ME.Hamstring injuries in the athlete: diagnosis, treatment, and return to play.Curr Sports Med Rep. 2016;15(3):184-190. doi:10.1249/JSR.0000000000000264American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.Muscle strains in the thigh.University of Utah.Hamstring tear & surgery.University of Wisconsin Sports Medicine.Rehabilitation guidelines following proximal hamstring primary repair.MedlinePlus.Hamstring strain—aftercare.
Penn Medicine.Hamstring injuries.
American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.Hamstring muscle injuries.
Harvard Health Publishing.Muscle strain.
Chu SK, Rho ME.Hamstring injuries in the athlete: diagnosis, treatment, and return to play.Curr Sports Med Rep. 2016;15(3):184-190. doi:10.1249/JSR.0000000000000264
American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.Muscle strains in the thigh.
University of Utah.Hamstring tear & surgery.
University of Wisconsin Sports Medicine.Rehabilitation guidelines following proximal hamstring primary repair.
MedlinePlus.Hamstring strain—aftercare.
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