Hamstring injuries

What types of hamstring injuries exist?

Hamstring injuries are commonly caused by rapid acceleration in activities or when initiating running.

The most common hamstring injury is a muscular strain. This typically happens in the thick portion of the muscle. There are three different types of hamstring strains:

• Grade I (mild): Overstretching without tearing of the muscle or tendon fibers. Pain may occur when sitting, climbing stairs, or walking. There may be minimal swelling, but typically no loss in strength.
• Grade II (moderate): Partial tear in the hamstring muscles. Pain can be more immediate and there can be a reduction of strength and flexibility in the muscle. Limping is likely during walking, muscle is sore to the touch, and there is pain with contraction of the muscle. There may or may not be accompanied bruising with a Grade II hamstring injury.
• Grade III (severe): Severe tear or complete rupture. There may be a large lump of muscle under the skin above where a depression may be. Frequently, patients with a grade III injury experience a sudden sharp pain in the back of the thigh accompanied by a significant bruise that may appear a few days after injury. This may require surgical repair.

Another common hamstring injury is hamstring tendinitis, usually due to overuse from imbalances or asymmetries. Hamstring tendinitis can lead to hip pain and knee pain. 

Left untreated, a hamstring tendinitis can turn into a hamstring tendinopathy, a condition of chronic degeneration to the hamstring tendon with significant accumulation of scar tissue and chronic inflammation. Hamstring tendinopathies are very uncomfortable and create significant functional limitations.

The sports chiropractors at Premier Sports & Spine are experts at treating hamstring and other musculoskeletal injuries.