Hamstring injury: how long to recover?

The importance of your hamstring

Your hamstrings are the muscles in the back of your thighs. They’re crucial for movements like bending your knees and extending your hips.

A hamstring injury can occur if you pull, strain or tear this muscle.

What causes hamstring injuries?

Hamstring injuries are a common form of injury in athletes and those who participate in high intensity exercises or sports.

There are a number of different causes, including overexertion, improper use of equipment and wearing the wrong footwear.

Overexertion during physical activities

You can cause an injury by pushing yourself too hard or stretching too far during activities like:

• Running
• Sprinting
• Jumping
• Lunging
• Climbing.

Improper use of gym and sports equipment

For example:

• Not warming up properly before you exercise
• Overloading your legs with too much weight
• Stretching or contracting your hamstring too much
• Setting up your equipment incorrectly
• Using poor technique.

Wearing the wrong footwear

For example, footwear that:

• Doesn’t provide good shock absorption
• Doesn’t provide support or alignment
• Has worn out or unevenly worn soles
• Isn’t suitable for the activity you’re doing.

Some movements — like lunging, jumping and climbing — put a particular strain on your hamstrings and are more likely to cause injury.

And if you’ve had a hamstring injury in the past, this could increase your chances of having another one.

Hamstring injury symptoms

You’re most likely to suffer a hamstring injury when you’re exercising or playing sports.

You may experience symptoms including:

• Sudden, sharp pain in the back of your leg
• Difficulty walking or bending your knee
• Swelling and/or bruising in the area
• Weakness or tenderness
• Muscle spasms.

If you experience a popping or snapping sensation at the time of injury, it could indicate a more severe tear or rupture of the muscle.

How long to recover from a hamstring injury?

Not all hamstring injuries are the same. Even identical types of injury could have different recovery times.

In most cases, the more severe the injury is, the longer it will take to heal.

Hamstring injuries are graded from 1 to 3 depending on their severity.

The three grades of hamstring injury

There are three specific grades of hamstring injury:

Grade 1 hamstring injury

A mild muscle strain or pull causing a radiating pain in the back of your thigh.

You may find it difficult to move your leg as a result, but should not lose strength.

A grade 1 injury usually takes 2 to 5 days to heal.

Grade 2 hamstring injury

A partial tear to the muscle fibres.

The pain is greater than a grade 1 injury and you may also experience bruising, swelling, and loss of strength.

Grade 2 recovery time can range from 4 to 8 weeks.

Grade 3 hamstring injury

A severe or complete tear of the muscle, which can be identified by a popping or snapping sensation as the injury occurs.

This injury usually results in greater pain, swelling and bruising than grades 1 and 2. There may also be some tenderness in the muscle.

A grade 3 hamstring injury can take months to heal completely.

How to treat a hamstring injury

When you suffer any kind of hamstring injury, it’s important to start treatment immediately. This will help to speed up the healing process and prevent further damage.

There are a range of options for treatment, both at home and through rehabilitation services.

How to treat a hamstring injury at home

You can treat mild to moderate hamstring injuries yourself at home

For the first 2 to 3 days, you should protect your leg by:

• Stopping activities and exercise
• Avoiding putting weight on it
• Using ice to reduce the swelling
• Keeping it elevated as much as possible.

When your leg starts to feel better and you can move it without pain, it’s best to keep moving it so it doesn’t stiffen up.

Using the MEAT method

The MEAT method is a newer and more comprehensive method for treating hamstring injuries — especially hamstring strains.

MEAT stands for: Movement, Exercise, Analgesics, Treatment.

Movement

Movement refers to controlled and specific movements of the injured body part. This is important in the early stages of your recovery, helping to promote healing and avoid stiffness.

Exercise

Exercise plays a key part in restoring strength and endurance in your hamstring. By following progressive exercises that target your hamstring, you can gradually rebuild muscle strength and flexibility, to help avoid re-injury.

Analgesics

Analgesics are pain-relieving medications. They include anti-inflammatories, like ibuprofen, which can help manage pain and reduce inflammation.

Used in conjunction with other recovery methods, analgesics can provide pain relief, allowing you to exercise more comfortably.

Treatment

Therapies, like physiotherapy and manual therapy, play a key part in the long-term recovery of your hamstrings. These treatments help to reduce pain and inflammation in your body as well as promote mobilisation in your joints, tissue and muscles.

Doing rehab exercises

Rehabilitation is a critical part of a hamstring injury recovery process.

It’s common to suffer a hamstring strain after an intense workout or activity. And you may be keen to return to that activity as soon as your injury is feeling better. But, without rehab, this could lead to further injury.

Rehab will strengthen your hamstrings for your future activities and allow you to recover properly.

Rehab exercises for hamstring injuries

Here are some of the common rehab exercises we recommend for hamstring injuries.

Bridge exercises

Bridge exercises aim to improve your range of motion and pelvic control, while strengthening your hamstrings. The hamstring bridge exercise involves lying on your back with your knees bent and lifting your hips off the ground.

Gentle stretches

Stretching is a huge part of hamstring injury rehab. Some effective hamstring stretches include standing hamstring curls and prone hamstring curls.

Foam rolling

Using a foam roller on your hamstrings can help release tightness and improve flexibility. This can be carried out by rolling each leg back and forth on the foam roller for 1-2 minutes to help reduce muscle tension.

Rehab for major hamstring injuries

For a major injury, you will likely need multiple rehab sessions. These will help you regain the strength lost in your hamstrings and condition your muscles to prevent future injuries.

Try not to push yourself too hard during these sessions, as this could aggravate your injury. Instead, stay patient and focus on aspects such as your pelvic control, range of motion and technique, which are all key to your recovery.

It’s also worth taking note of how often you’re stretching your hamstrings, as this could be the reason behind recurring strains.

Manual therapy

In some cases, manual therapy may be recommended as part of your rehabilitation.

Therapists can use techniques like massage to relieve pain and tension in your muscles, which may be hindering your recovery.

Should you stretch a hamstring strain?

A hamstring strain indicates that it’s time to rest and allow the muscle to heal. In the early stages, you should take care not to stretch the hamstring as it can prolong your recovery time.

Pain-free movement exercises can be safer and more beneficial once the initial pain and swelling have subsided. You should avoid any strenuous exercise until your injury has fully healed.

Is heat good for a hamstring injury?

While both heat and ice can help with the healing process, ice is typically recommended for the first 48–72 hours to reduce swelling and inflammation.

After that initial period, heat may be applied to help with blood flow and relax tight muscles. See our overview on ice vs heat for more information.

How to prevent future hamstring injuries

If you’ve already had a hamstring injury, this increases your risk of a future hamstring injury — so you need to take care.

But there are things you can do to reduce your risk, such as:

• Building strength in your hamstrings through regular exercises
• Having proper warm-ups before any physical activity
• Using correct form and technique during exercises
• Avoiding sudden changes in intensity or duration of physical activity
• Listening to your body and not pushing through pain or discomfort
• Allowing yourself time to recover between workouts.

Another way to avoid future injury is to take advantage of our strength and movement classes. These will help improve both your physical and athletic abilities.

With small class sizes, you’ll receive personal attention from our experienced coaches. They’re dedicated to helping you move better, and feel stronger and more confident with your activities.

For your convenience, there are classes with early morning, daytime, and late evening slots at our clinics in Devizes, Marlborough or Frome.

You can book a class online or contact us to learn more about our classes in detail.

Rehab your hamstring injury at Hatt Clinic

Our expert team can give you all the support you need to recover from your hamstring injury more quickly and safely.

And they’ll teach you how to protect your hamstrings in the future so you can reduce your risk of further injuries.

To book an appointment online, visit our online booking page and select initial physiotherapy from the menu.

Alternatively, you can email us at: enquiries@hattclinic.co.uk

Or call the clinic:

Devizes: 01380 730473

Frome: 01672 516580

Marlborough: 01373 452604