Your hamstring muscle groups, which help you bend your knees and extend your legs behind you, can easily become injured from over-extension during physical activities. Athletes such as sprinters and soccer players are susceptible to injuries such as hamstring tears. Rehabilitation programs for torn hamstring muscles aim to decrease stiffness in your muscle, improve range of motion in the affected leg, restore strength and allow a return to prior activity levels, according to MayoClinic.com.
Initial Care Steps
You will need to reduce the initial swelling and pain in your torn hamstring when you begin an active rehabilitation program. To begin, your doctor may suggest that you take a temporary break from vigorous physical activities, use crutches or a cane to reduce the weight you bear on the affected side, elevate your leg above heart level when you're lying down, apply an ice pack multiple times a day, wrap the injury with a bandage or compression shorts and take an over-the-counter pain reliever such as acetaminophen, according to MayoClinic.com. You may also need to wear a knee splint to keep your affected leg in a neutral position as your hamstring heals.
Physical Therapy
Physical therapy can help to restore function and promote further healing in your leg after the initial selling and pain is at a minimum. Your physical therapist will likely begin your program with a series of gentle exercises to promote flexibility. For example, she may have you extend the affected leg on a flat surface and lean straight forward at the waist in the direction of your toes, having you hold the stretch for 30 seconds. Depending on how severe your injury is, she may have you start out stretching in water to reduce the added stress of gravity. She will eventually include strengthening activities and incorporate a walking program to get you back in shape.
Rehabilitation After Surgery
You may need surgery to repair a serious hamstring injury such as a complete tear within the hamstring muscle or a tendon torn fully away from the pelvic bone or shinbone. If you undergo surgery, you may need to wear a brace and use crutches as you heal and then go through a stretching and strengthening and physical therapy program to get your body back up to speed.
Time Frame
A mild or moderate hamstring injury may heal within a few weeks, but the healing process and rehabilitation program may last as long as six weeks. A severe tear may not heal for several months. For example, if your tear required surgery, rehabilitating to the point of resuming prior athletic activities may take three to six months, according to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.
