Hamstring Injuries: Hamstring Injury Symptoms and Treatment
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Am I at risk for hamstring injuries?

The risk of sustaining a hamstring injury increases with contact sports, sports that require quick starts, such as the start of a race. Obesity, poor nutrition, previous pelvic or knee injury or poor muscle conditioning also increase the risk. The likelihood of sustaining a hamstring injury can be decreased by participating in a strengthening, flexibility and conditioning program appropriate for your sport or athletic activity, by adequately warming up before practice or competition and by using proper protective equipment, such as knee pads and thigh pads, during participation in contact sports.

What is the proper care for a hamstring injury?

The appropriate health care for a hamstring strain is a doctor's care, application of tape or an elastic sleeve if a muscle ruptures or the muscle-tendon-bone attachment loosens. Your own self-care during rehabilitation, proper physical therapy (for moderate or severe strain), or surgery for a severe strain. The condition is most commonly diagnosed through your own observation of symptoms, your medical history and exam by a doctor and x-rays of the pelvis, femur and knee to rule out fractures.

Are there any complications with hamstring injuries?

Some possible complications can be (1) prolonged healing time if activity is resumed too soon, (2) proneness to repeated injury, (3) Loss of the ability to quickly accelerate and decelerate, (4) inflammation at the attachment to bone (periostitis); or sometimes, prolonged disability. With a first-time injury, proper care and sufficient healing time before resuming activity should prevent permanent disability.

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