The hamstring is one of the largest muscles in the body, and it's also one of the most important. The hamstring is used every day whether you are standing, walking or doing other physical activity. It endures a lot of stress throughout the day and as a result is a common muscle to suffer a strain. Strains may occur due to poor warming up or placing excessive stress on a muscle, but in many cases they can be easily rehabilitated, even in your own home.
Strain Identification
Muscle strains occur when part of the muscle tissue tears. The severity of a strain relates to how much muscle tissue tears during an injury. Very light strains may only appear as soreness, the product of a small number of muscle fibers tearing under stress. More serious strains occur when larger amounts of muscle tears. Even a partial tear can create considerable pain and render the muscle useless. You may notice swelling and inflammation, and bruising may develop.
Healing the Injury
An at-home approach to treatment may be enough if the injury is minor. Many experts recommend the RICE method of healing and rehabilitating a muscle injury. Rest is the most important consideration -- you should not continue exercise when a strain develops, and staying off your leg as much as possible will be helpful to your body. The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons recommends applying ice packs for 20 minutes at a time, several times a week. Apply compression to the hamstring in the form of a compression sleeve or a tight gauze wrap -- this will help reduce inflammation. Elevating the leg above the hips will reduce swelling.
Restoring Muscle Strength
Many athletes who suffer hamstring pulls are concerned about experiencing reduced performance in the hamstring. This is possible, particularly in the early stages after it initially heals, but with exercise you can help rebuild the strength of the muscle. Begin exercising at a reduced work level to prevent a recurrence of the strain. Gently perform the exercise and stop if you feel tightening or stress in the hamstring. Gradually over the next few workouts increase the intensity of your exercise -- you may want to increase the intensity while keeping the duration short, or increase duration while maintaining the same level of intensity. Don't shock your hamstring with too much effort, but slowly increase the demands placed on the hamstring until you reach the workloads achieved prior to the injury.
Considerations
Some hamstring strains can result in partial or complete tears. Complete tears often require a surgical procedure to attach the muscle. With or without surgery, the rehabilitation process for tears is much too strenuous. It is likely that you will need to undergo physical therapy rehabilitation under the guidance of a physical therapy. This treatment approach could require several rehab sessions a week and last for several weeks, if not months. You will be put through stretching and muscle strengthening exercises until your hamstring fully recovers from its severe strain.
