Have you ever begun a new jogging regimen overzealously and found yourself hobbling around the house, suffering whenever you tried to sit down or stand up?
The bad news: You might have a strained hamstring!
The good news: It’s easily treatable.
The trio of muscles descending the back of your thigh is the hamstrings. It is one of the most often damaged muscles in runners, and hamstring injuries are among the most common injuries in sports.
While you might want to rest and not engage your hamstring at all, hamstring strengthening exercises for strain are crucial for recovery.
In this article, we demonstrate and explain hamstring stretches, isometric and dynamic hamstring exercises, and functional or sports-specific workouts.
What Exercise Can I Do With A Pulled Hamstring?
The general rule is to not engage in strenuous workouts and only stick to gentle hamstring stretches.
Remember that exercises that stretch the hamstring, even if it is a gentle stretch, shouldn’t be performed in the acute phase, right after an injury.
How severe your damage is will determine how long the acute phase lasts. However, this normally takes two to four days. Stretching exercises can typically be started once regular walking and other everyday activities are pain-free.
6 Exercises You Can Do With A Hamstring Injury
Here are a few workout examples you can attempt. The exercises could be recommended to treat an ailment or for recovery. Slowly begin each exercise.
If you begin to experience pain, stop doing the exercises.
Below we also detail when to begin each set of exercises and the ones that might be most effective for you.
Heel Dig- Hamstring Set
- With the affected leg bowed, sit. Your right leg should be straight and rest firmly on the ground.
- By pressing your heel into the ground, you may tighten the hamstring muscles in the back of the affected leg bent.
- Hold for roughly six seconds before taking a maximum of ten seconds of rest.
- Repeat the eight to twelve times total.
Hamstring Curl
- With your knees straight, lie on your stomach. Suspend a pillow beneath your stomach. Roll up a towel or a cloth and place it under your leg slightly above your kneecap if your kneecap is bothering you.
- Try to bend your knee and bring your foot up toward your buttock, then raise the foot of the affected leg. Try it without bending your knee as far as the action hurts. You could avoid any uncomfortable movements by doing this.
- Move your leg slowly up and down.
- Repeat the eight to twelve times total.
Then, add resistance until you can complete this exercise without experiencing any pain.
To do this:
Create a loop by tying either end of an exercise band together. To keep the loop in place, fasten one end to a sturdy item or cover it with a door. (Alternatively, you may have someone hold the loop’s one end to act as resistance.)
The lower portion of your affected leg should be wrapped in the exercise band’s other end.
Repeat moves one through four while gradually pushing back with your leg on the workout band.
Hip Extension
- Place your hands on the wall near your chest while standing facing a wall.
- Kick your leg with the hamstring strain straight behind you while maintaining a straight knee.
- Remain calm and drop your leg to its initial position.
- Repeat the eight to twelve times total.
Then, add resistance until you can complete this exercise without experiencing any pain.
Resistance can be added in the same manner as mentioned above.
Hamstring Wall Stretch
- Your healthy leg should be through the open door while you lay in the doorway.
- To straighten your knee, slide the leg that is having trouble up the wall. A light stretch should be felt down the back of your leg.
- Start by maintaining the stretch for at least a minute. Once you have done that, try holding the stretch for six minutes.
- Do this two to four times.
- There is another way to perform this exercise if you do not have access to a doorway:
- The affected leg’s knee should be bent as you lay on your back.
- Holding the towel’s ends in your hands, loop it under the foot’s ball and toes.
- As you carefully draw back on the towel, straighten your knee. A light stretch should be felt down the back of your leg.
- For 15 to 30 seconds, maintain the stretch. Alternatively, if you can, hold the stretch for a full minute.
- Do this two to four times.
- Avoid hunching your back.
- Never flex either knee.
- Maintain one heel on the ground and the other on the wall. Avoid pointing your toes.
Calf Stretch
- Place your hands on the wall near your eyes while facing the wall. Position the afflicted leg a step or so behind the opposite leg.
- Bend your front knee, and gradually pull your hip and chest toward the wall. Do this until you feel a stretch in the calf of your back leg as you keep your back leg straight and your back heel on the ground.
- For 15 to 30 seconds, maintain the stretch.
- Do this two to four times.
- Repeat steps one through four while maintaining a bent back knee.
Single-leg Balance
- Stretch your arms beside in the T shape as you stand on a flat surface. Next, bend your healthy leg at your knee and lift it off the ground. Use one of your hands to grab onto a chair or a wall if you are unsteady on your feet.
- Keep your affected leg straight while standing. Up to 30 seconds, try to maintain your balance. Then take at least ten seconds to rest.
- Do this at least six to eight times.
- Try to balance yourself on the injured leg with closed eyes after you can stand on it for 30 seconds without closing your eyes.
- When you are comfortable and pain-free performing this exercise while keeping your eyes shut for at least 30 seconds, repeat steps one through four while standing on a pillow or sheet of foam.
When Is It Time To Consult A Doctor
It’s crucial to get medical attention if you worry that your hamstring injury may be more serious than a minor pulled hamstring or that it might be a grade two or three injury because it might not heal on its own. Additionally, attempting to exercise with a partial or complete tear may result in further harm. Severe injury warning signs include:
- If your hamstrings are in excruciating pain.
- If you have a sudden, persistent ache.
- If the pain in your upper leg makes it difficult for you to walk.
Your doctor can do tests to determine if you have a more serious hamstring injury or have simply pulled your hamstring muscles. Surgical intervention may be necessary to heal the torn hamstring tendon, depending on the severity of the injury.
You can also be advised to undergo physical therapy by your doctor. A physical therapist assists by giving exercises that can aid in rehabilitating the injured area.
Final Thoughts
A hamstring injury can be incredibly painful, but the good news is that rather mild hamstring strains can easily be treated with mild stretching and strengthening exercises.
On the other hand, the severely injured hamstring muscle might need some serious intervention and treatment. Make sure you closely monitor the condition of your hamstring and see a doctor i the pain and discomfort persist.
