Help please: hamstring strain/pull

[wall]

About 5-6 weeks ago I strained my right hamsting slightly. I didn't notice whilst doing it, but the following day as I went to stretch I felt pulling+tension+soreness on the back of my right tigh.
I've had no pain walking or doing any "normal" activity, and I have no visible brusing nor swelling, so the tear/pull is minor (grade 1 I believe) but it's just not healing!
Despite 5-6 weeks of lighter training and stretching, as soon as I stretch or attempt high kicks the pain is quite strong and the leg is very stiff: it takes me over 15min of painful stretch+relax to get to a mediocre split, whilst before I could split almost cold perfectly. Furthermore, I can hardly kick without pain, and I need a long time to do some poor high kicks with the leg now.
It actually feels like it's slightly worse, after 6 weeks from injury!
So, any advice? Should I stop altogether for 1-2 weeks to let it heal? Should I keep up the painful stretching+relaxing? Should I ....?

Thank-you for any useful advice,

Wall

[TigerJaw]

Originally posted by wall
About 5-6 weeks ago I strained my right hamsting slightly. I didn't notice whilst doing it, but the following day as I went to stretch I felt pulling+tension+soreness on the back of my right tigh.
I've had no pain walking or doing any "normal" activity, and I have no visible brusing nor swelling, so the tear/pull is minor (grade 1 I believe) but it's just not healing!
Despite 5-6 weeks of lighter training and stretching, as soon as I stretch or attempt high kicks the pain is quite strong and the leg is very stiff: it takes me over 15min of painful stretch+relax to get to a mediocre split, whilst before I could split almost cold perfectly. Furthermore, I can hardly kick without pain, and I need a long time to do some poor high kicks with the leg now.
It actually feels like it's slightly worse, after 6 weeks from injury!
So, any advice? Should I stop altogether for 1-2 weeks to let it heal? Should I keep up the painful stretching+relaxing? Should I ....?

Thank-you for any useful advice,

Wall

I would stop for three or four days and perhaps use RICE and some anti-inflammatories. Then Very gently stretch. The stretch I use when I've hurt my hamstrings, which I've done about 5 times now is place one foot in front of the other, perhaps even with the foot in front on a block and stretch gently down towards the front knee. Go only as far as you feel the injury just start to hurt, no further, don't stretch through it. Hold for thrity and come up slowly. Rest for ten seconds and repeat. I did four repertitions, twice a day. After four or five days, the muscle relaxes and if the strain is bad, a bruise surfaces. after a week or, start doing strengthening excercises until full ROM and strength is restored.

[Robinf]

1) see a doctor to be certain there is no damage

2) massage -- deep -- just feels good and will loosen up the muscle and break up scar tissue

3) Stretch your quads/hip flexors.

Ease up on your hammies for now and them heal.

Sounds like your quads and hip flexors might also be too tight and constantly pulling your hammies which is exasserbated when you stretch your already stretching hammies. I had this problem myself for two years. I stretched my quads and hip flexors, finally, and went light on the hammies and it all healed. I haven't had that problem since.

[wall]

Thanks guys.

I am pretty flexible (can do all 3 splits perfectly ..... or at least could before the injury, now it's a struggle on the injured side) so I don't think tightness in the hip flexors or such is causing the pullin.
I think the injury is relatively minor (no bruising, knotting, pain when walking) but I've been stretching THROUGH it, despite pain, and I think that's been preventing it from healing for the past 2 months. I will take a whole week off and just rest it, then see how it's feeling with some gradual stretching.

Wall

[ZhouJiaQuan]

i hurt my left hammie(wierd name) like 2 years ago, **** still hurts when i strecth/kick, went to the doc they didnt do **** for me(anit-imflmatories didnt do ****). so im screwed. it wasnt hurting for a couple months but its killing me again now. ive taking it easy ive streched light ive streched through it, tried it all still hurts like a bas t a rd

oh well

[TigerJaw]

Originally posted by ZhouJiaQuan
i hurt my left hammie(wierd name) like 2 years ago, **** still hurts when i strecth/kick, went to the doc they didnt do **** for me(anit-imflmatories didnt do ****). so im screwed. it wasnt hurting for a couple months but its killing me again now. ive taking it easy ive streched light ive streched through it, tried it all still hurts like a bas t a rd

oh well

I had a hamstring that wouldn't heal. I tried physiootherapy (physical therapy) but that didn't help. I also tried a chinese herb shop and anti-inflammatories (not at the same time). Eventually, it was an accupuncturist / massage therapist that fixed it. After two years of a bad hamstring, she fixed it in five session.

[monkey mind]

stretching through pain, bad. massage, good.