Pulled hamstring. Need help!

[Swole_2112]

Just yesterday, I pulled my hamstring for the first time. Hell, this is my first pulled muscle. Not too bad after 7+ years of training. Anyway, I need to rehab it. What do some of you guys/gals recommend?

[way2skinny]

Very light weight, high reps (50). Give it LOTS of time. I pulled mine, felt better in 3-4 weeks, started lifting heavy again and promptly pulled it again. I'd say 8-10 week minimum.

[Swole_2112]

Originally Posted by way2skinny

Very light weight, high reps (50). Give it LOTS of time. I pulled mine, felt better in 3-4 weeks, started lifting heavy again and promptly pulled it again. I'd say 8-10 week minimum.

8-10 WEEK MINIMUM!!! My God! Is that just leg curls or legs, in general? Either way, I don't like it. I'll do what I have to do... but, damn! Thanks for the input.

[Big Sky Guy]

If you pulled it good and have any blood/bruising on the leg at all, it will take 8-10 to be completely healed. Many people make the mistake of thinkin they are good to go at 6 weeks and promptly pull or tear it again.

Lying hamstring curls with surgical tubing as the resistance. The resistance gets higher as you bring the leg up to full flex. 3-5 times a day sets of 15-30 (whenever it gets achy, then back off 5 reps in the later sets of the day).

Decellerations = lying hamstring curls where you use the good leg to pull it up and then let it down with the injured leg. Once again high rep work 15+

[Swole_2112]

Originally Posted by Big Sky Guy

If you pulled it good and have any blood/bruising on the leg at all, it will take 8-10 to be completely healed.

Actually, there isn't any bruising or discoloration at all. I was kind of suprised.

[Pixie]

Make sure you let that thing heal properly. The hamstring is one of those muscles that if you've pulled it once, you're very suscpetible to pulling it again.

To add to the exercises that people will give you, might I suggest some gentle stretching and massage. This will help realign the fibers ("de-ball" or if there's any tear at all) and hopefully get your muscle in better working order and hopefully (assuming you let it heal right) minimize chances of re-injury.

[ILIEKFUDE]

ya, id foam roll that thing or have yr girl massage it once daily at least. and let it heal.

[Big Sky Guy]

That's good news Swole!

I tore mine very slightly while all out sprinting. The tear was center ham, but the little bruise ended up just above the back of the knee and slightly to the inside. I asked the PT why it was so far away from the actual tear and he said that was just where the blood settled. Just an FYI for all of us that the bruise does not always appear in the exact location of the tear.

[Nate]

first off, how did you pull it? where did you feel the "pop," middle of the muscle belly, or up higher near the glute?

no bruising or discoloration is a good sign... sounds like a 1st degree strain.

3 days of total rest is a must... during those 3 days of rest, use ice, compression, and elevation. EMS can also be used during this time via "pulsing" above the injury site (this will help promote blood flow & drainage). once the first 72 hrs are up, movement becomes essential.

also, be careful with stretching on your own. find someone who understands soft tissue injuries & have them take you through a progressive ROM... massage is also a great idea, BUT, you must wait until the acute inflammation goes down. the same goes for stretching, as you never want to stretch a fresh muscular strain/tear.

how does it feel today?

[Swole_2112]

Originally Posted by Nate

first off, how did you pull it? where did you feel the "pop," middle of the muscle belly, or up higher near the glute?

no bruising or discoloration is a good sign... sounds like a 1st degree strain.

3 days of total rest is a must... during those 3 days of rest, use ice, compression, and elevation. EMS can also be used during this time via "pulsing" above the injury site (this will help promote blood flow & drainage). once the first 72 hrs are up, movement becomes essential.

also, be careful with stretching on your own. find someone who understands soft tissue injuries & have them take you through a progressive ROM... massage is also a great idea, BUT, you must wait until the acute inflammation goes down. the same goes for stretching, as you never want to stretch a fresh muscular strain/tear.

how does it feel today?

Today, it feels fine. For everyday tasks such as walking and standing, it felt fine after two days. To answer you first questions, when I pulled it, I didn't feel a pop. I simply felt abrupt discomfort in the muscle belly to the right of center while doing hamstring curls. The pain and discomfort slowly progressed over the first 24 hours, then subsided to nothing to this point.

Thanks for the input, bro. I appreciate it.

[Nate]

Originally Posted by Swole_2112

Today, it feels fine. For everyday tasks such as walking and standing, it felt fine after two days. To answer you first questions, when I pulled it, I didn't feel a pop. I simply felt abrupt discomfort in the muscle belly to the right of center while doing hamstring curls. The pain and discomfort slowly progressed over the first 24 hours, then subsided to nothing to this point.

Thanks for the input, bro. I appreciate it.

no problem...

you are at a point now where movement is essential. for rehab & the future, i would suggest you work the hamstring primarily as a hip extensor.

[Killer]

Give it another day or so (like Nate said you want to make sure you are out of the acute phase) and start what is called pump massage.

Lie on you stomach and have someone passively move your inured leg through a leg curl motion. As they do that, have them dig their elbow or thumb into the sore spot on your hamstring. As they flex and extend the leg, the fibers will drag underneath the pressure from their thumb/elbow. Be prepared for pain. Do that for 3 -5 mintues EOD. Ice afterwards. You can do that for a couple weeks or so. I have found that it is very effective for hamsting and quad strains.

And as the others have said, take it easy. I have seen so many people feel good after a hamstring strain and then proceed to go out and strain it again.