Recovery for Hamstring Injury

[jmac225]

I hurt my hamstring back in early September playing football, then tweaked it again a couple of weeks ago. I was seeing a physical therapist a few times a week and have been stretching the muscle, getting massages, and I have been completely pain free for more than a week. I just started started strengthening exercises, starting with light weight. I also have purchased a nice adjustable brace/sleeve for support when running and playing sports.

The question I have is how much will the brace, along with my stretching and strengthening help to prevent a reoccurrence of the injury when I play in my annual backyard football game on Thanksgiving? It will be more than 2 months since the original injury and 6 weeks from the when I felt the pain again. It it real important that I am able to play in this game, as it is one of the only times my friends and I see each other since we have all finished college. I haven't been able to find much online as to how effective the braces are for preventing injuries. If anyone with a similar sports related injury can let me know what I can expect when I get back into sports along with any additional measures I could take to prevent another injury that would be great.

 

[SuzeeQ]

Recovery for hamstring injury

Hamstring injuries can be stubborn to treat and to recover completely from. Look at Laker player Pau Gasol and you can see that even the pros get sidelined!

You might gain more confidence in your hamstring if you progressively load it and train specifically for the physical demands of your upcoming football game. You don't want Thanksgiving Day to be the first time you try cutting and sprinting. Also, make sure that you have adequate flexibility in the muscle. Lying on your back with the non-involved knee bent, have someone perform a straight leg raise, making sure that you keep the knee absolutely straight. You should (at the very least) get to a 90 degree angle at the hip, which means that your leg is perpindicular to the floor. There are no braces on the market that will prevent a hamstring injury.

If you are really serious about this game, you might want to find a physical therapist who is certified in ASTYM treatment. This treatment utilizes specialized instruments to identify and treat fibrotic tissue in the muscles and tendons that cannot be felt with your hands. ASTYM has a documented success rate of 96.7% for hamstring strains. A trained therapist might pick up dysfunctional areas of the muscle that were missed with traditional massage. The good thing about ASTYM is that you can play football right after the treatment, meaning that no "down time" or rest is necessary. Check out their website and see if there is a certified therapist near you.

Good Luck!