Hamstring Injury(Strain) Definition, Reason, Symptoms, Treatment & Prevention

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Hamstring Injury(Strain) Definition, Reason, Symptoms, Treatment & Prevention

A hamstring injury is an injury to a group of muscles located at the back of the thigh (hamstring muscles).

Understanding

A hamstring injury is an injury to a group of muscles located at the back of the thigh (hamstring muscles). The hamstring muscles are widely used in bending the knee, such as when running, jumping, and climbing.

When an injury occurs, there are three levels of injury, namely:

  • Grade 1 injury: light pull on the muscle so that the muscle strength to move is reduced
  • Grade 2 injury: tears in a part of the muscle, causing pain and reducing some of the muscle’s strength to move.
  • Grade 3 injury: a complete tear in the muscle that causes extreme pain and the muscle loses nearly all of its strength to move normally.

Reason

Hamstring injuries can occur when there is a pull on the muscles that exceeds the muscles’ ability to stretch. Injuries can occur as a result of sudden movements, or gradual, as a result of slow but excessive pulling or loading.

Several factors have been shown to increase your risk of hamstring injuries – such as age, a history of previous injuries, and sudden changes in movement. Other factors that are thought to be related to this injury are poor body flexibility, low muscle strength, muscle fatigue, an imbalance in the strength of the hamstring and quadriceps muscles, as well as minimal, inadequate or inappropriate warm-up activities when a person is exercising.

Symptom

When a hamstring injury occurs there are several signs that you can pay attention to, namely:

  • pain in the thigh
  • bruises
  • swollen
  • difficulty moving the hamstring muscles

Diagnosis

Generally, the diagnosis of a hamstring injury is determined based on a medical interview and physical examination.

Radiological examination with MRI is quite accurate to help diagnose hamstring injuries. However, this examination is not a must because of the price or inconvenience for sufferers.

Treatment

During the acute period of a hamstring injury, around the first day to the fifth day the injury occurs, do the PRICE steps, namely:

  • Protection: protection of the hamstring muscles
  • Rest: rest the muscles
  • Ice: compress the injured muscle part with ice
  • Compression: giving compression/pressure
  • Elevation: raising the feet, usually with a pillow propped up while sleeping

In cases of severe injuries, doctors may consider surgery, although this is very rarely done. After the treatment and medication process, someone who is injured requires a muscle rehabilitation process. He could not immediately return to normal sports activities. It can take three weeks to three months, depending on the extent of the injury, before returning to full training.

Prevention

There are several things you can do to prevent hamstring muscle injuries, namely:

  • Do light stretching or stretching movements every day. Take a moment when you wake up, in the midst of tiring work hours, also when your body is experiencing tension due to work, traffic jams, or long trips.
  • Always warm up before exercising and cool down after exercising that is appropriate and adequate according to the type of exercise you are doing.
  • Maintain physical fitness to prevent muscle fatigue.
  • Train wisely. Do sports according to the body’s ability. Increase the intensity and frequency of exercise gradually when the body is ready.
  • Use sports equipment, especially sports shoes, that are appropriate and in accordance with the exercises you are doing. Good and proper shoes will reduce your risk of injury.
  • Avoid activities/exercise before fully recovered from the injury. Return to practice gradually.

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