Treatment of a Torn Hamstring
Medically reviewed by Oluseun Olufade, MD
Treatment of a torn hamstring is usually determined by the severity of the injury. Resting a pulled hamstring is the key to successful treatment. On the other hand, treatment of a complete hamstring muscle tear is usually more invasive.
As a general guide, if you have a hamstring strain, you can do activities that do not aggravate your recent injury. Rest until you are pain-free giving time for the injured hamstring muscle to heal. Resting insufficiently may prolong your recovery and cause injury to recur.
The following are common treatments used for hamstring injuries:
Rest
Allowing time for the muscle to rest is the first step in the treatment of most hamstring injuries. Rest allows the swelling to subside and inflammation to settle down. In order to sufficiently rest the muscle, sometimes crutches are needed to relieve the stress of the muscle.
Stretching
Stretching can begin soon after the injury, but must not be done aggressively or the stretching may exacerbate the injury. Stretching should be gentle and not painful.
Often a session or two with physical therapy can help an athlete develop a proper stretching program. As healing progresses, the intensity of stretching can also progress, but should never cause pain.
Physical Therapy
Physical therapy can help guide an athlete with appropriate treatment. Heat is often used at the start of the session before exercise and stretching to increase blood flow and warm up the muscles. Many people find relief with modalities such as ultrasound, electrical stimulation, and therapeutic massage. A cold pack may be applied at the end of the session to reduce inflammation and ease post-therapy soreness. Most athletes should begin therapeutic exercise as soon as possible. These types of exercises may include low-impact activities including cycling and pool workouts.
Ice the Injury
Apply ice to the injured hamstring in the acute phase, and then after activities. Ice will help limit the swelling and inflammatory reaction and may help to stimulate blood flow to the injured area. Ice can also be an effective pain-relieving treatment for these types of muscle strains.
Heat Applications
Before activities, heating the injured muscle can help loosen the tissue. Applying a heat pack to the hamstring prior to stretching or exercising may help to increase the extensibility of the muscle fibers. As a general rule, remember to heat before, and ice after.
Takeaway
Many patients may benefit from alternating warm and cold treatments on their injured muscles. This technique is believed to help increase blood flow to the affected area.
Anti-Inflammatory Medications
Anti-inflammatory medications (such as Aleve, Motrin, or ibuprofen) can help relieve pain and discomfort. These also calm the body's inflammatory response to the injury.
Surgery
Surgery is rarely necessary for the treatment of a hamstring injury. When the injury occurs within the central part of the muscle, it is almost always best to treat these injuries non-surgically. In some situations when the muscle attachment to the bone is pulled off, surgery may be necessary to reattach the muscle to its proper location.
Patients with more severe symptoms of pain should be evaluated to determine if they might benefit from more invasive treatments. Often an X-ray is obtained to see if a bone has been pulled off of the attachment of the hamstring, but this does not necessarily mean that surgery is a mandatory treatment.
Summary
Hamstring injuries commonly occur especially among athletes. While a mild to moderate hamstring strain may be rehabilitated quickly and simply with rest, a complete tear may require periods of ice and heat application, anti-inflammatory medications, physical therapy, and in rare cases, surgical intervention. Once the injury is diagnosed, it's important to begin treatment quickly and take adequate time to heal for the muscle to return to full function.
