On Oct.23rd (2 weeks and a bit ago) I pulled my hamstring I heard a popping noise and immediate pain, I could not walk properly the day of the injury and there was some swelling. After about 2-3 days all swelling was gone and there was zero bruising so I am estimating I suffered a grade 1-2 (most likely 2) hamstring strain.
I have been attending physio and doing my due diligence in rehab. Bodyweight lunges, step ups, Squats, band leg curls, jogging, bike intervals, physio but now since my hamstring is just a little sore with full mobility. I am looking for some more intense exercises so that my hamstring can return to full strength
I am thinking light RDL’s, Stiff leg deadlifts, some glute activation to start along with light light sprints when strong enough
I am just looking for guidance from people who have suffered hamstring strains and brought themselves back to full recovery or other people who are experienced in the area.
Side note: I have trouble trusting physio’s my physio said a couple days ago I would be good going back to 70-80% intensity in my training but every time I get past a moderate jog I begin to feel weakness and twinges in the area like it wants to pull again. I then return my speed to a moderate jog
Grade 1 strain takes 4-6 weeks to heal; youre not even pain free yet dude. Give it time before you start adding weight, the tissue is still healing.
I pulled my hamstring sprinting about a year ago. I’m not sure what grade, probably 1 or 2, I went down mid sprint, felt like I got shot. If I remember right I started jogging 4 weeks afterward and sprinting again around 6-8, haven’t had problems since.
I think the most important exercises I did past the acute phase were the eccentrics. Russian hamstring curls, single leg Romanian deadlifts, sliding leg curls/lying leg curls focusing on the lowering.
I also performed an exercise to retrain the proprioception in the muscle. I put on an ankle weight(started with 3 pounds I believe and progressed) and would lie prone on a bench with my affected knee just off the edge. I then had a friend take the weight of my lower leg up to just before 90 degrees. From there you relax completely and have the person randomly “drop” your leg, forcing the hamstring to take over eccentric control and catch leg before reaching full extension, the goal is to develop the neuro response. Hope you understand that, hard to explain with text.
Aside from those early stage I did glute bridges, hip thrusts, and of course got back to squatting and deadlifting as able.
Heat, soft tissue work, and dynamic stretching are also your friend.