Hey guys. A lil question about hamstring strains from experience and knowledge

Hey guys, i was hopin if u can help me out. The last post i did on this area of the forum was regarding about having pain behind my knee. It turns out that i've been diagnosed with a strained hamstring. The only time that it hurts is whenever fully straighten my leg out and getting the worst pain from kneeling, bending the knee, and even trying to do a "checking" (muay thai term i think). And also this pain has been bothering me for 3-4 years now. Currently I'm seeing a therapist to help treat the pain. Is it possible for a strain to last that long? Is there any causes for the delay in the healing process of the strain?

if it keeps bothering you, cut it off and save everyone(including yourself) the pain of listening to you whine about it... be thankful you have legs even if your knees hurt. :p

Physio can fix a strain, but to be honest, if you've had it that long the problem is that you keep straining it.
Physio will help it heal, eventually, but like any strain, NOT doing what strains it is crucial for it healing.

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Originally Posted by ManilaCrane

Hey guys, i was hopin if u can help me out. The last post i did on this area of the forum was regarding about having pain behind my knee. It turns out that i've been diagnosed with a strained hamstring. The only time that it hurts is whenever fully straighten my leg out and getting the worst pain from kneeling, bending the knee, and even trying to do a "checking" (muay thai term i think). And also this pain has been bothering me for 3-4 years now. Currently I'm seeing a therapist to help treat the pain. Is it possible for a strain to last that long? Is there any causes for the delay in the healing process of the strain?

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strains in muscles can last for years, or indefinitely; they don't have to last that long, it just depends on the relative severity and the ability of the body to compensate locally and globally; the good news is that with the correct treatment, long-term strains can disappear almost immediately (I've seen it / done it); the bad news is that the wrong treatment usually won't do it, and unfortunately many (if not most) therapists will waste your time and money with ineffective treatments;

personally, I would find a PT / osteopath that uses Strain-Counterstrain, Muscle Energy and similar osteopathic techniques; if you are near Tucson, I actually have a colleague / friend who is well-versed in these approaches if you are interested;

well actually, im actually seeing a PT dat is doing something with da strain. He's doing something called ASTYM treatment which involves removing defective scar tissue and at the same time doing some PT exercises. I just wanted to hear ur guy's opinions dats y. (plus he told me to do alot of stretches)

ManilaCrane,

Sure it is possible for a hamstring strain to last 3-4 years long. I have one that occurred in 2002, and has been with me since then. The reasons for it to aggregate to 2nd degree strain, and last that long are multiple. First, the initial treatment was not good. And I torn one or two right hamstring muscle threads two weeks after the injury had announced itself while stretching for rehabilitation. Second, I did not have massaging and resting enough then. By the end of 12/2010, I finally am able to stretch my hamstrings to reach their full length. Probably because in the past December, I did one month of hamstring massage. A quick double check by doing isometric contraction resulted in no pain felt, the first time since year 2002. So the rest of the rehabilitation will be on strength and endurance of my hamstrings. I am confident that my hamstrings will fully recover in this year. Wish that yours will recover also soon.


P.S. My training experience coincides with the words of sport expert that hamstring flexibility is secondary responsible leg side-split stretch. Every time my hamstring flexibility gets better, my side-split stretch improves. Instead of stretching three times in a session to reach my limit, now I only needs two. Again, this has never been happened to me before.




Regards,

KC
Hong Kong

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Originally Posted by SteveLau

ManilaCrane,

Sure it is possible for a hamstring strain to last 3-4 years long. I have one that occurred in 2002, and has been with me since then. The reasons for it to aggregate to 2nd degree strain, and last that long are multiple. First, the initial treatment was not good. And I torn one or two right hamstring muscle threads two weeks after the injury had announced itself while stretching for rehabilitation. Second, I did not have massaging and resting enough then. By the end of 12/2010, I finally am able to stretch my hamstrings to reach their full length. Probably because in the past December, I did one month of hamstring massage. A quick double check by doing isometric contraction resulted in no pain felt, the first time since year 2002. So the rest of the rehabilitation will be on strength and endurance of my hamstrings. I am confident that my hamstrings will fully recover in this year. Wish that yours will recover also soon.


P.S. My training experience coincides with the words of sport expert that hamstring flexibility is secondary responsible leg side-split stretch. Every time my hamstring flexibility gets better, my side-split stretch improves. Instead of stretching three times in a session to reach my limit, now I only needs two. Again, this has never been happened to me before.




Regards,

KC
Hong Kong

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Thanks steven for sharing your experience. Yeah i do hope i get my hamstring rehabilitated soon with the current treatment therapy and exercises dat im doing. Having this injury prevents me from doing some forms and kicks properly :/

Hi ManilaCrane,

You may want to consider getting massage work every now and then-- weekly. This will help your body release the trauma on the cellular level and allow the healing to begin.

mickey

It sounds like you are taking the proper steps with the PT. The only thing I would further recommend is purchasing a rice bag. You can get these at Bed, Bath & Beyond. You put it in the microwave and nuke it for 2-3 minutes and it provides a wonderful moist heat. Apply it for at least 20 minutes after each workout.

I am a private physician and I can tell you that your PT will be in a better way to help you than your MD.
The stuff they spend ALL their time studying, we get like a couple of classes.

PT people usually know their stuff and ARE (IMO) the equivalent of a "doctor" in their field because they can usually outdo any MD with stuff like you are talking about.

It sounds to me like you have a complicating thing going on, but since I can't look at you walk and the PT can.......they really have become "the s**t" for stuff like this.