What is a Hamstring injury?
A hamstring injury is a common leg strain or tear to the tendons or large muscles at the back of the thigh that can range from mild to severe. What helps you bend your knee is your hamstring muscles. The cause is from muscle overload when you do sudden movements like, lunging, running or jumping.
It’s a common injury in athletes and can occur in different severities. The three grades of hamstring injury are:
grade 1 – a mild muscle pull or strain.
grade 2 – a partial muscle tear
grade 3 – a complete muscle tear
Recovery from a grade 1 injury can take a few days to heal, however the grade 3 injury may take weeks or months to heal.
Hamstring injury treatment?
To speed the healing, you can:
Using the RICE method (rest, ice, compression and elevation) is beneficial for the first 72 hours of the injury.
Rest and keep your leg as still as much as you can and avoid physical activity.
Ice it.
A compression bandage or thigh support can be worn to minimize bleeding in the muscle and reduces pain and inflammation.
Elevate your leg above heart level or on a pillow when you’re sitting or lying down to help decrease swelling.
Take anti-inflammatory painkillers as directed by your doctor.
Practice slow stretching and strengthening exercises as directed by your doctor or therapist. Keep in mind to avoid any stretching that causes pain.
How Massage can help?
Massage therapy can help promote healthy scar formation, compression, relieve pain, and speed the recovery time of a pulled hamstring.
Registered Massage therapy can increase blood flow and relax injured muscles.
Registered Massage therapy can show you safe stretches to restore the range and motion of your hamstring muscles to optimal levels.
Registered Massage therapy can be useful to treat hamstring injury.
Talk to your doctor for a proper diagnosis and see how Registered Massage Therapy can help decrease muscle soreness and be part of your recovery plan.
