FirstMed Consulting Blog

A hamstring strain is caused by twisting or pulling a muscle or tendon and can be both acute and chronic. Acute hamstring strain associated with a recent trauma or injury, it occurs during an isolated athletic activity or it can also occur after improperly lifting heavy objects or overstressing the muscles. Chronic hamstring strain is resulted from persistent repetitive stress. Some examples of causes are shown below:

* No or a poor stretching routine before activities causing inadequate flexibility of the hamstrings which can result in injury.
* Inadequate strength or endurance of the hamstrings to sustain workload caused by athletic activities or repetitive stress.
* Returning to activity before full recovery, this can lead to recurrence of the problem.

Sports athletes are most vulnerable to hamstring injuries; sports for example require jumping, running and kicking. Many cases also suggested hamstring injuries increase with age, though they can occur in people of all ages.

What are the symptoms of Hamstring Strain?

The symptoms of a hamstring strain depend on the severity of the injury. The injury is usually very sudden and painful. Other common symptoms include:

* Bruising - It is caused by bleeding within the muscle from small tears. It usually begins in the back of the thigh and passes down below the knee and into the foot as time elapse
* Swelling – This is caused by the accumulation of blood within the muscle where the tears occurred. This makes further muscle contraction difficult and painful.
* Spasm – the stimulation of the muscle caused by confusion of contraction signals and subsequent spasm. People usually experience spasm when they have pulled their hamstring. It is very common and painful symptom of a hamstring injury.
* Difficult Contraction – it causes the knee to flex and if severe, it may even prevent the patient from walking normally.

In First Degree, patients might feel only tightness in the thigh and should be able to walk normally. It’s very unlikely that swelling will take place due to only moderate damage to the muscle. In Second Degree, patients might not be able to walk properly due to the difficulty of contracting. There might be noticeable swelling on the affected area and causes pain if pressed in. Finally in Third Degree, due to severe damage to the muscles, patients will be unable to walk without the necessary aid of supports. There will be continuing pain and bad swelling appears immediately after impact.