Hamstring... tear?

Discussion in 'Injuries and Prevention' started by Nachi, Nov 30, 2018.

  1. Nachi

    Nachi Valued Member Supporter

    So... I kind of skipped stretching before yesterday's training and decided I can try a head-height hook kick and... I shouldn't have. I felt/heard a "pop" up in my leg and a hamstring pain followed. And a bit on a numbing sensation in the leg for a while. I finished the training, avoiding kicking, but... it got worse later in the evening. The pain is now basically constant, I limp and generally use the other leg, this one only very passively. It hurts when sitting, lying, walking, bending over, basically all the time, although if I keep sitting or lying it takes about an hour for the pain to diminish enough to feel more or less ok.
    My first thought and the information on Google made me think I might have caused myself a tear (edit: oh, maybe a strain, I got those words confused) in the hamstring. Probably not a very serious one, but still.

    Anyone has experience with it? How do I speed the recovery? It seems like there isn't much I can do except for rest and wait, but it doesn't hurt to ask :)
     
    Last edited: Nov 30, 2018
  2. aaradia

    aaradia Choy Li Fut and Yang Tai Chi Chuan Student Moderator Supporter

    I would get it checked out by a Dr. Sooner, rather than later.
     
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  3. Nachi

    Nachi Valued Member Supporter

    I am afraid they close very soon today, and I won't make it. I am not sure it is necessary, but I can go there on Monday at the soonest anyway...
     
  4. axelb

    axelb Master of Office Chair Fu

    Yes, what @aaradia said! Get to the doctor.

    Is there any sign of bruising or swelling?

    I have had similar experiences which left me unable to walk for 2 data, but without the pop; that makes me think it's more serious. :(
     
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  5. Mitch

    Mitch Lord Mitch of MAP Admin

    Treat it like most soft tissue injuries, R.I.C.E.
    Rest it as much as possible.
    Ice the affected are to reduce swelling, 20 minutes every couple of hours.
    Compress the area with something like an elastic bandage.
    Elevate it it on a table or stool whilst you're sitting.

    Beyond that you can take anti-inflammatories both for the pain and to reduce swelling.

    A "pulled" or "strained" hamstring is different from a "tear," at least as I think about them. A tear can be so serious that you are unable to walk afterwards and may even require surgery to fix it. I doubt yours is anywhere near that bad, but it's worth getting it checked out.

    You need to give it plenty of recovery time, and then be aware of that area in the future. You may want to work some specific stretches and do some foam rolling in a couple of months.

    Hope it heals quickly :)
     
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  6. Nachi

    Nachi Valued Member Supporter

    axelb:
    No, no swelling or bruising. It already gets better now when I sit down and don't do anything.

    Mitch:
    Yep, not that serious. I just wasn't sure about the right word and when I realized it, I couldn't change the topic name anymore... I do not think it is very serious, but it is somewhat uncomfortable. I read however, that a strain and a small tear can't be easily told apart. As for the tear of the whole muscle, that is a completely different thing, of course.

    Thank you, I will look into some stretches! I am not sure if it could play a part, but my right leg has always been a bit less flexible. This probably won't help my flexibility, either :/

    Thanks :)
     
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  7. Mitch

    Mitch Lord Mitch of MAP Admin

    Good to hear it's not that bad :) Still follow the RICE protocol though, it'll help speed up recovery.

    I'm sure you know anyway, but don't do long, static stretches at the start of class. You should be doing movements that gradually take you up to your maximum range of motion. Leg swings, squats, rotations, all that stuff. Save the static stretches for the end of class or specific sessions to increase ROM. :)
     
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  8. axelb

    axelb Master of Office Chair Fu

    that's what ruined my hamstring first time! lots of static stretching to maximum range as part of a warmup :(
     
  9. Nachi

    Nachi Valued Member Supporter

    Well, honestly I do mostly dynamic, but some static stretches, too (after warming up first, though). Not to be hold for a long time, though. Just yesterday I did none :( So I admit it is entirely my fault.

    Thanks. I will try to find something elastic for the compression. Although I am not sure I'll be able to tolerate any ice so high on my thigh. It's winte! and ice on my leg.... my gosh :O I know I should, though. I will probably try. But I am no the least bit enthusiastic about it :D

    And I forgot to mention, axel, that luckily I can walk. Slowly, only using my leg very passively at the moment, but it already feels better than in the morning. And going into some positions with only the ok kind of pain - good enough to acknowledge it, but far from what it was yesterday. I hope this trend will continue :D
     
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  10. Frodocious

    Frodocious She who MUST be obeyed! Moderator Supporter

    I pulled my hamstring in early November and it's still giving me trouble now. It was a minor (ish) pull, I didn't feel anything at the time but noticed it the next day. It ached when I was walking, particularly up hill and when stepping up things (stairs, kerbs etc). If the tear is as bad as you say, then I suspect you might be out of action for several weeks. Mine only aches occasionally now and I get a little bit of cramping now and again. I'm planning on getting back to some easy cycling next week to see how it goes. I would see a doctor/physio if I were you. Hamstring injuries are notoriously bad for reoccurring and getting some professional advice would help reduce the chance of this.
     
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  11. Nachi

    Nachi Valued Member Supporter

    Oh, that sounds fairly pessimistic :(
    Well, it wasn't great yesterday and today in the morning, but it really gets better now, so I hope it is not that bad! I will send my leg some positive vibes :)
    I hope you will be able to recover completely, soon.
    I just googled and found that if I can't walk more than a few steps without a significant pain, that is when I should see a doctor. Now if I walk carefully, I feel slight pain and a mild discomfort, but it is not so bad. I think I will see on Monday. Unless it gets significantly better, I'll go see her, but I reall think (and hope) it will :)
     
  12. Frodocious

    Frodocious She who MUST be obeyed! Moderator Supporter

    How's the hamstring? Mine is still slightly achey after certain activities. I had a chat with a physio the other night (not an assessment) and he suggested getting back to light exercise on the stationary bike and seeing how it holds up. He also recommended bridging exercises, but that I shouldn't do anything that hurts.
     
  13. Nachi

    Nachi Valued Member Supporter

    Thanks for asking :)

    It is getting better every single day. At the beginning, every day made a big difference. The only day I went to train was on Sunday. I avoided quick changing of stances, running around and kicking with the hurt leg and I was just fine :) Stretched only to comfortable positions, avaided some stretches in general and I think the leg was actually a little bit better afterwards :)
    Yesterday I went for a short walk and realised I can already walk normally, although I started to feel the strain after a while, but as long as I wasn't in a hurry anywhere...
    Right now I can still feel it when moving around and walking, but I wouldn't even call it pain anymore. The only everyday task I still have some trouble with is tying my shoe laces.
    There is going to be a big seminar on Saturday, so I suppose I'll take it easy, but I think I'll be just fine :) Which is great. I just don't want to overdo it so that it would come back, so I am fairly careful right now.

    It is good to hear you will be able to go to some exercising! I hope it will help you heal. Let me know how it went :)
     
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  14. Morik

    Morik Well-Known Member Supporter MAP 2017 Gold Award

    minor-ish seeming injuries seem to go one of several ways for me:
    - Clear up on its own with no alteration of what I'm doing (no extra exercises/no extra rest)
    - Persist until I do something to help it (e.g., specific exercises)
    - Persist until I do something to injure it further

    I feel like the first outcome isn't frequent enough, for me at least. I may wait a few days to see how it feels, but if it is not completely better within a few days, I'd recommend getting it checked out.
     
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  15. Nachi

    Nachi Valued Member Supporter

    I did take some rest and I am careful with it and it is obviously still getting better and better, so I think I will just give it more time, which is admittedly what I am usually doing :oops: But is seems to work! :)

    The hamstring isn't perfectly ok right now, but I can already do just abou everything except for bendin over the stretched leg or swinging it forward high up etc., where the hamstring gets more strain. But even if I do, it doesn't hurt anywere close to how much it did at the beginning :)
    So I guess it should heal by itself, soon. I will stretch it gently and might use the foam roller, but I don't think a doctor could advise me anything else, to be honest.

    Thanks for the tip, though! :)
     
  16. Latikos

    Latikos Valued Member

    I pulled my left one a few years ago.
    And dumb as as I am - kept training :rolleyes:

    Long story short: For two years at times I got in pain when I was thrown certain throws (others not; no one could explain it), which only went away when I did nothing for nearly two month (summer holidays).

    Today I can usually get thrown (very, very, very seldom it hurt for a second, but is gone just as quick), but I still have trouble kicking, fir example roundhouse kicks/ mawashi geri - funny enough with my right leg.
    I can kick "properly" (my kicks just suck as of now) with my left leg after warming up and some stretches, but can feel how it's still "glued together" on my left leg, when I do these kicks with my right leg.

    Hate it.
    Hate myself for keeping training at the time.


    Since you are smarter and probably not kicking while in pain, you will probably be fine though :oops::D
     
  17. Terry7987979

    Terry7987979 New Member

    That stretching is often overlooked by many athletes. I was also one of them. The result was not good at all, but I managed to treat injury as soon as possible. Taking much sleep and exercises, is good for treating injury.
     
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