What is a hamsting strain?
Strains range from a complete rupture of the muscle to small micro-tears that the player will probably not notice at the time.
Causes
A hamstring strain commonly follows reaching for a ball, kicking and sprinting. Contributing factors include improper warm up, fatigue, poor flexibility, strength, muscle imbalance (quadriceps more powerful leaves hamstring prone to injury).
Symptoms
- A sudden sharp pain at the back of the leg
- Muscles going into spasm.
- Swelling and bruising
- If the rupture is very bad you can feel a gap in the muscle
Strains are graded 1, 2 or 3 depending on severity. A grade 1 might consist of small micro tears in the muscle. A grade 2 would be a partial tear in the muscle and grade 3 is a severe or complete rupture of the muscle.
Grade 1: symptoms
- Tightness in the thigh
- Unable to walk properly
What you can do
- Use a compression bandage or heat retainer until you feel no pain
- Ease down your training for a week or two but no need to stop completely unless you are getting pain
- See a sports injury specialist
Grade 2: symptoms
- Unable to walk properly
- Sudden twinges of pain during activity
- Swelling
- Bending the knee against resistance causes pain
- Unable to fully straighten the knee
What you can do
- Apply RICE: rest - slows down bleeding and reduces the risk of further damage; Ice - eases pain, reduces swelling, reduces bleeding initially; compression - reduces bleeding and swelling; elevation - reduces bleeding and swelling by allowing fluids to flow away from the site of injury.
- See a sports injury specialist
Grade 3:
- Unable to walk properly without crutches
- Severe pain
- Immediate swelling
What can you do?
- Seek medical attention immediately.
- Apply RICE: rest - slows down bleeding and reduces the risk of further damage; Ice - eases pain, reduces swelling, reduces bleeding initially; compression - reduces bleeding and swelling; elevation - reduces bleeding and swelling by allowing fluids to flow away from the site of injury.
Health24, Ocotber 2003
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