I have just recently injured my hamstring while attempting some sprint work. I am 22 Yrs old, and was attempting to get back my speed. I had not done sprints in about 3 yrs. Since then I had added around 35lbs. of muscle. I am still very flexible. I wanted to try out for a baseball team. A physical therapist has told me that it’s my semitendonosis. what is more to blame for my injury, added weight or lack of the activity(sprints)? How long might an injury like this one take to heal. Currently I am stretching, doing ultrasound, estim, and icing twice a day. Other than leg curls are there any specific exercises that could enhance my recovery? I was warned not to do stiff legged deads.any help, advise, or suggestions are welcomed thanks…
You answered your own question…basically too much speed too soon. If you haven’t sprinted in a long time, your hammies just weren’t prepared for the rate of force/tension developed in them when sprinting. There could also be some postural issues (anterior pelvic tilt, tight psoas) which influenced your painful outcome.
How long ago was the injury? How severe was it? Did you have noticeable bleeding(bruising)? Is there swelling? soft-tissue deformity with a well-defined border?
The length of recovery depends on the severity and treatment plan. The Ultrasound and Estim are great for punching up your billing, but that’s about it. You’ll need ongoing hands on treatment after about 72 hours (depending on acute factors) to minimize fibrosis/adhesion development.
Light activity/exercise will do you more good than the PT physical agents as far as circulation goes. Your selection of exercises again depends on severity. I’m not sure why you would be warned against any exercises unless you found it to be painful already. Just keep your loads (progressing from active ROM to resistive) appropriate for your stage of healing as being too aggressive (loading too quickly) can worsen your tear. Athletes tend to think that all pain is the good kind. Try to pay attention to the difference.
Sorry I can’t be more specific. It’s hard to make recommendations without hands-on evaluation. Give more info, maybe we can offer more assistance.
Might a ART practitioner help in this case? Just wondering.
ART is perfect for this. I hurt my left hamstring trying to do a split. Luckily i had an appointment the next day with my therapist. He gave me accupuncture and ART and it was at least 50% better when i left.
ART would help in about any circumstance that involves the phrase ’ " I hurt…". Seriously, there are a few hundred different treatment protocols in total, with probably a good ten to twenty related to the hamstring region.
Bill’s advice was great, but as he said the guy needs a hands on exam. ART again will help with almost anything that hurts, if the practitioner is experienced enough.
I’ve seen Mike Leahy have hamstring pulls run in minutes. Find a practitioner.