The hamstrings are a group of three muscles located at the back of the thigh. Hamstring injuries occur often when playing baseball, running or riding horseback, usually from overuse, overexertion or improper warm-ups.
Other sources for the leg pain and restricted mobility brought on by this muscle strain include slips and falls and blows to the back of the leg. Treating this large muscle group and restoring it to health normally takes between two and eight weeks.
Rest
The slow action of rest is necessary to any muscle strain, but especially to a hamstring injury because of its location and the demands placed on it by locomotion. Patients with serious strains may be unable to walk, making rest a convenient treatment.
The Cleveland Clinic recommends wearing a thigh compression bandage in between showering and applying cold compresses. When leg pain subsides and the hamstring muscles can bear weight again, activity can gradually be resumed.
Ice
The MayoClinic.com reports that ice should be applied to the muscle strain area immediately following a hamstring injury, even en route to the doctor's office. Addressing inflammation right away will minimize leg pain and swelling.
Patients should apply a chilled, not frozen, pack for about 20 minutes, every few hours as needed. A wide, rectangular gel pack on top of a pillow makes a comfortable compress beneath the thigh.
Medication
Treatment for leg pain and swelling can be augmented with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications, MayoClinic.com also relates. Aspirin, ibuprofen and naproxen can be taken for short periods while hamstring discomfort persists.
The University of Maryland Medical Center notes that intramuscular cortisone injections are safe and effective for managing severe hamstring injury symptoms. Cortisone offers greater pain and inflammation relief, to allow patients to move beyond pain issues to begin range-of-motion exercises and rehabilitation.
Surgery
The most severe hamstring muscle strains may leave tissue ruptured and unable to function. Imaging tests can detect extensive muscle damage. The NYU Langone Medical Center notes that these cases are very rare but that tissue can heal through surgical repair.
Rehab
After restricted activity or surgery, the mending muscle tissue must be restored to healthy condition. While pain may have receded, the hamstrings are still vulnerable to stress and reinjury. Rehabilitative exercise should begin with gentle range-of-motion stretches of the thigh and leg.
Further recovery should include exercises that strengthen the hamstring muscles, according to NYU Langone Medical Center. A professional physical therapist can evaluate patients' changing abilities and needs, and prescribe individual therapy programs.
