The Physiotherapy Partners treat a number of different injuries and offer a great range of services as treatments.

Pulling your hamstring or having a hamstring strain is a common leg injury for anyone. During sprinting activities, such as playing football, is when this injury is likely to occur and involves tearing one or more of the hamstring muscles. The severity of the injury depends on the tear you have obtained. When a hamstring is pulled, the elasticity of the muscle is pulled and this can then affect the surrounding joints. If the hamstring is not treated or the injury is recurrent, it can have a negative effect on your hip and back and work the pain upwards; because of this it is very important to seek professional help and guidance when such injury occurs.

Common causes of hamstring strain or injury include having poor running mechanics, such as overstriding which can put your hamstring at risk of injury. Fatigue is another issue, so make sure you are up to the activity before starting. Stretching your hamstring incorrectly or not stretching it at all are very common causes. Read our latest blog to understand the importance of stretching here. 

As you are likely to be aware a hamstring strain usually involves a certain tightness of your hamstring. Other symptoms can include a sudden or severe pain whilst exercising, pain in your thigh when you walk or straightening your leg, and bruising of the area. In very severe cases you may find it impossible to stand or walk. A hamstring injury is diagnosed by your physiotherapist that will examine your hamstring contraction and muscles. It is important to get the injury properly diagnosed by a professional physiotherapist as a pulled hamstring is graded on its severity and treatment is tailored to your specific diagnosis.

Your recovery time very much depends on the severity of your hamstring injury. Many patients do start to feel better after injury has occurred, but you have a very high re-injury rate due to not recovering properly and fully. You must therefore seek help from professional physiotherapists such as The Physiotherapist Partners if you have had any sort of hamstring strain, so we can do our best to treat your condition and help avoid repeat injuries.

Once your hamstring injury has been diagnosed your dedicated physiotherapist will start your recovery process by reducing the pain and inflammation to the area. Following this, your physiotherapist will start to normalise your muscles range of motion, before  strengthening the knee muscles and hamstrings. If other joints or muscles have been affected by your hamstring injury it is then important to do a number of exercises to build the strength of your lower limb muscles such as your calves, hip and pelvis. Once the strength of the area has been built back up it is important for your physiotherapist to help improve your speed, agility and balance before you return to your normal sporting activities. Post-recovery, your physiotherapist will work with you closely to improve your exercise technique and minimise the chance of reinjury.

If you are suffering from a hamstring injury, or are in need of our expertise in any other way, please contact us and book an appointment at one of our three clinics.

Photo credit: nick macneill via Geography cc