How to prevent Hamstring Strain

Feb. 13, 2015 - PRLog -- Visiting a Physiotherapist in the early stages of a hamstring strain, will hasten the healing process, minimize adhesions, improve function and help patient return to normal activities sooner.

Unfortunately, hamstring strains are both common and painful. This injury mostly strikes athletes of all sorts  including runners, skaters, and football, soccer, and basketball players.

During a hamstring strain, one or more of these muscles gets stretched too far. The muscles might even start to tear. A person is likely to get a hamstring strain during exercise that involves a lot of running and jumping or sudden stopping and starting.

During a hamstring strain, one or more of these muscles gets stretched too far. The muscles might even start to tear. A person who's likely to get a hamstring strain during exercise usually participates gets involved in a lot of running and jumping or sudden stopping and starting activities.

Hamstring Strain is more likely if:

- If a person doesn't warm up and stretch before exercising.

- Quadriceps muscles are a lot stronger than Hamstrings.

- Teenager going through a growth spurt.

Hamstring Strain Prevention

As hamstring strains can be nasty injuries, athletes should work hard to avoid them. After all, healing a hamstring strain is much harder than preventing it. Here are some tips:

- Stretch before and after physical activity.

- Always increase the intensity of physical activities slowly, no more than a 10% increase a week.

- Stop exercising if there's pain in the back of a thigh.

- Stretch and strengthen hamstrings as a preventative measure.

Symptoms of a Hamstring Strain

Mild hamstring strains may not hurt too much. But severe ones can be agonizing, making it impossible to walk or even stand.

Possible Symptoms are:

- Sudden and severe pain during exercise, along with a snapping or popping feeling

- Pain in the back of the thigh and lower buttock when walking, straightening the leg, or bending over

- Tenderness

- Bruising

To diagnose a hamstring strain, a doctor will give a thorough physical exam. He or she will ask specific questions about how the leg was injured.

Different Treatments for Hamstring Strain

Luckily, minor to moderate hamstring strains usually heal on their own. People who suffer from this injury needs to be patient and give some time for full recovery. To speed the healing, people can:

Rest the leg - Avoid putting weight on the leg as best you can. If the pain is severe, a person may need crutches until it goes away. Ask your doctor or physiotherapist if they're needed.

Ice your leg to reduce pain and swelling - Do it for 20-30 minutes every three to four hours for two to three days, or until the pain is gone.

Compress injured leg - Use an elastic bandage around the leg to keep down swelling.

Elevate injured leg on a pillow when you're sitting or lying down - this position will put the hamstring muscle in a relax state, reducing the possibility of the hamstring muscle being stretched.

Using modalities such as TENS and Therapeutic Ultrasound - these modalities will reduce any pain and swelling around the area, as well as inflammation.

Practice stretching and strengthening exercises if your doctor recommends them - Strengthening hamstring muscles is the best protection against hamstring strain.

In severe cases where the muscle is torn, patient may need surgery. The surgeon will repair the muscles and reattach them.

Recovery time depends on how bad the injury is for the hamstring. Keep in mind that people heal at different rates. While recovering, patient should strengthen the hamstring with a new activity that won't aggravate the strain. For instance, runners could try doing laps in a pool.

Treatment for this type of injury should not be rushed. It is not recommended for patients to return physical activity until:

- A patient can move their leg as freely as the uninjured leg

- Injured leg feels as strong as your uninjured leg

- Patient does not feel any pain on the injured leg when walking, jogging, sprinting, or jumping

If  a patient starts pushing themselves before the hamstring strain is healed, chances of re-injuring the hamstring will be high and there's also a possibility of permanent muscle weakness. It is recommended for a everyone to visit a Physiotherapist whenever such symptoms occurs, as they are train to teach patients preventive measures in order to avoid this injury. Physiotherapist are also equip with different techniques to help patients recover from this injury and are very knowledgeable on different exercise in order to maintain the muscles involve with this injury.

Queen West Physiotherapy in Brampton, people will find a friendly, relaxing environment where the Physiotherapist will listen to the patients needs and offer patients high quality healthcare with a personal touch. The Physiotherapist also works along with other professionals such as Acupuncturist, Osteopaths, Chiropractors and Massage Therapist in order to assist patients in the best way possible. Please contact us for additional information about our products and services.