Nov 4, 2009 7:26 AM
Hamstring pain
-
Like (0)
Hello all,
I've been having pain in my hamstrings for the past few weeks. Right leg is not very bad at all - just a few "twangs" here and there. Left leg is worse. Running hills is painful and it feels tight and sore. I'm pretty sure it's not a tear, as I'm still able to run, but I'm scaling way back. I know these take a long time to heal, is there anything I can do to help speed up the healing? Are compression shorts helpful? I'm icing and taking ibuprofin and only running 2-3 times a week for distances less than 5 miles. Am scheduled for a massage in a few days. Any other insight would be very helpful. Thank you!
Take a look at the following articles Pain the Butt , Hamstring Buttock Pain , and Buttock Hip Pain - Piriformis Syndrome.
Damien Howell MS, PT, OCS - www.damienhowellpt.com
Hi,
Thought you might be interested in checking out the following link for detailed information on a hamstring strain including treatment (although be aware there are numerous diagnostic possibilities for pain in the hamstring region):
Hope that helps and good luck with recovery,
PhysioAdvisor
Hamstring pain doesn't take a long time to heal! Doing the right things can move things along!
If you want to run with the hamstring pain, get a neoprene thigh wrap... that supports the hamstring!
I'm glad you are going to a Massage Therapist! You injured your hamstring, scar tissue formed and FASCIA is "gumming up"- soft tissue dysfunction! There is a technique called Separating the Hamstings and since you are going to a Massage Therapist, ask him to do this for you! You have three Hamstring muscles and should function on their own. But since you injured your hamstring, the FASCIA is gumming them up as one. You lie face down with your foot in the air(forming a 90degree angle). Between the Biceps Femoris and Semitendinous/Semimembranosuos there is a separation. The MT starts at the bottom of the hamstrings, wiggling his fingers between the center of the hamstring while you rotate your foot/lower leg medially and laterally with the knee bent. The binding FASCIA will release allowing the MT fingers to sink in toward the femur. The MT works his way up the hamstring!
If the massage therapy isn't working for you. I suggest you do GRASTON TECHNIQUE!
Go to provider on the webpage..put in your zipcode...and find a provider near you!
I have nothing to add but sympathy: I'm in the same boat. Either mine is slightly worse or my strategy is different, though, because I'm not running at all now, hoping it crosses some magic healing line and feels better soon. I feel some slight pain even when walking. I take ibuprofen, ice and stretch when I can. I also scheduled a massage for tomorrow. Like I said, same boat. I hope we're both back to normal soon.
Your body will heal as fast as it can if your nutrition, hydration, circulation and relaxation are optimal, but there are some things that will slow the healing process down.
When people use ice and NSAIDS like ibuprofen, they are often attempting to suppress nagging pain and inflammation. Pain prevents you from overusing injured tissue, and inflammation is the very healing response you seek. In other words, they are your friends, and suppressing them will slow healing down.
I ran for nearly five hours Sunday with some nagging pain in my right hamstring from speedwork I had done earlier in the week, and from helping a friend move between second floor apartments the day before. It feels better now from the circulation of the run, because I used it, but not too hard. It would feel perfect right now if I weren't sitting on it in front of this darn computer!
Don't fear pain. It is a mental construct that serves as a rating system for sensory information received by the brain. It can be likened to the color codes used by Homeland Security and means nothing by itself. Trust the pain you feel to direct your attention to the parts of your body that need better care or less work, or suppress it at your peril.
Facebook
MySpace
YouTube
Twitter