A pulled hamstring muscle may be painful and require treatment from a medical professional. However, there are some things you can do yourself. Using a cold compress on the affected area, resting the leg and elevating your leg may all help treat the injury. Stretching the muscle is also important for recovery and should be done immediately following the injury as well as continued throughout rehabilitation, according to SportsInjuryClinic.net. Your doctor may prescribe medication and recommend strengthening exercises as well.
Standing Hamstring Stretch
You can stretch a strained hamstring muscle by standing on your uninjured leg and placing your pulled leg onto a chair or other surface. The injured leg should be straight and you should pull your toes back. You will bend forward from the waist until you feel a stretch in the back of your leg. Your spine should be straight during the stretch. Try to hold it for 30 seconds. You can also place an ice pack under your hamstring while you are stretching to ice it at the same time. A long, flat surface like a bench or a bed may be ideal for this.
Seated Internal and External Rotation
You can stretch your hamstrings in a seated position as well. You will sit on the floor with your injured leg extended straight in front of you. The other leg may be bent and resting on the floor. You will reach forward for your toes and pull your foot back.
You can also do this stretch with internal and external rotation to emphasize different portions of the hamstrings. The group of muscles that comprise the hamstrings includes the biceps femoris, semitendinosus and semimembranosus muscles. You can do internal rotation by turning your injured leg inwards while lying straight on the floor and reaching forward to stretch your leg. You can also rotate your leg outwards and stretch it that way. Each position should be held for 30 seconds.
Lying Hamstring Stretch
You can also elevate and stretch the hamstring at the same time by performing a lying-down hamstring stretch. The easiest way to do this is to lie in a doorway so you can extend your healthy leg on the ground through the doorway while you place your injured leg straight against the doorframe. You can control the stretch by scooting closer to the wall. You may also pull your leg toward you to increase the stretch. Do not stretch far enough to cause pain. Hold the stretch for 30 seconds.
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