What is Hamstring Disability
Hamstring injuries occur as a result of the contraction or withdrawal of your hamstring muscles, consisting of three muscle groups that extend to the back of your leg. It is also known as the rear muscle pull.
If you’re doing sports with basketball, football, tennis or similar positions that you should stop and start with, you might be more familiar with hamstring injuries. Similarly, hamstring injuries can occur in runners and dancers.
Self-healing treatments such as rest, ice, painkillers will be enough to relieve the swelling and pain in the area of hamstring injury. Rarely, surgery may be necessary to treat tears.
Hamstring Injuries Symptoms
Hamstring injuries usually occur with a sudden and sharp pain in your hip area. It is also possible to feel torn. Generally, swelling and tenderness may occur within a few hours. However, in the entire posterior part of your leg, injury and discoloration may occur, and if you give weight to your crippled leg, loss of strength and ability may occur.
When to go to the doctor ?
Mild hamstring injuries can be treated at home. However, if you cannot focus on your crippled leg and you cannot walk more than four steps with great pain, you should go to a doctor.
Why Hamstring Injuries?
Hamstring muscles, in the back of your leg, just above your knees from the top of your hips in the region formed by three muscles. These muscles help you put your leg in front of your body and kneel down. If any of these muscles force their limits during physical activity, disability occurs.
Risk factors of disability:
Sports events. Injuries such as running or sprinting, dancing, and many activities requiring more flexibility are more common.
Previous injuries. Once you have had a hamstring injury, you are more prone to relapse. In particular, you are at greater risk if you return to your previous intensity activities without allowing your muscles to fully heal and strengthen.
Insufficient flexibility. If you’re not flexible enough, your muscles may not be able to handle the full force of activity.
Muscle imbalances. Although all specialists do not approve, unbalanced muscles may cause hamstring injuries. When the muscles in front of your knee are more developed and stronger than your hamstring muscles, the risk of hamstring injury increases.
Complications
If your muscles are fully healed, returning to heavy activities may cause you to get injured again. According to some studies, the re-occurrence of hamstring injury recovers more power than the original disability.
Hamstring tests and diagnosis
During your physical tests, your doctor will check the points that occur throughout your entire leg, swelling and tenderness. Determining the size and location of the pain will help to understand the extent and extent of the injury. At the same time, your doctor may try to determine if there is any tendon or ligament damage by moving your leg to various positions.
Imaging tests
In many hamstring injuries, muscle damage, pelvis or shin bone junction can occur at the connection points. At times, there may be a small amount of bone fragment separated from the main bone (avulsion fractures). X-ray, avulsion fractures can be checked, ultrasound and MRI tests and muscle and tendon damage can be determined.
Treatment and medications
The main purpose of treatment is to reduce pain and swelling. To ensure this, your doctor may recommend:
- Take a break from intensive activities to improve your disability.
- Use a cane or crutch to avoid giving all of your weight to your crippled knee.
- Apply several times a day to reduce pain and swelling.
- To reduce bloating and blood flow, rest your leg above the heart level.
- Wrap the crippled area to reduce swelling.
- Take anti-inflammatory and analgesic drugs (Advil, Motrin IB, or the like) or acetominophen (Tylenol, and so on) to reduce pain.
Physical therapy
After pain and swelling from hamstring injuries, your doctor or physical therapist can teach you some specific exercises to explain how to give these muscles strength and flexibility.
Surgery
If your muscles are separated from the pelvis or shin bone, orthopedic surgeons can reassemble it. Muscle tears can also be treated in this way.
Lifestyle and home treatment
If you want to treat the home against Hamstring injuries, you can apply D.B.S.K (Relax, ice, compress, remove) method. If disability is more than a small muscle strain, you can consult your doctor or physical therapist for support.
Take a break from intensive activities to rest your hamstring muscles and repair damaged muscles. Avoid all activities that can cause pain, swelling or discomfort. For more severe injuries, your doctor may advise you to use crutches to prevent you from giving your weight to your crippled leg.
Immediately apply ice to the crippled area, even if you are receiving medical attention. During the few days after the injury, apply ice every 15 to 20 minutes to the injured area every two to three hours. It will relieve pain from cold, crippled muscles, joints and related areas, and will reduce swelling and burning. It can also cause bleeding if it is torn. In this case, if your skin color turns white, stop treatment immediately. If you have a vascular disease or diabetes, or experience loss of sensation, consult your doctor before applying ice.
Compress. Wrap your leg with an elastic bandage until sensitivity is reduced. Note that you are not wrapping tightly enough to affect blood flow. Start from the furthest point of your heart. If the pain increases, if the wrapped area becomes numb or sensitization occurs, loosen the bandage.
Remove. When you rest, lie down or sit down. If possible, keep your leg above your heart level. Gravity will help you reduce blood flow and reduce swelling.
Protection
As part of your physical fitness program, stretching and strength exercises will help you minimize harmstring injuries. Try to be in shape while doing your sport, do not do sports to be in form. If you have any physical need, regular fitness work will help you to avoid disability. Consult your physician for useful condition work.
