Your hamstring muscles are a group of three muscles, located at the back of your thigh, that allow you to bend your knee and extend your leg behind you. The ability to perform these movements is essential, whether you’re cleaning your house or playing soccer.
Hamstring tears are exceedingly common injuries that many athletes and non-athletes alike suffer each year. Though many can heal on their own with time and rest, you may risk not being able to return to full function by skipping medical care.
As a highly accomplished board-certified orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Struan Coleman is versed in diagnosing and treating hamstring injuries. He’s dedicated to employing precise diagnostic procedures and creating customized treatment plans for patients suffering with torn hamstring pain. He and his able team are here for you, no matter your injury or which of our services you may need.
What does a hamstring tear feel like?
You know you’ve suffered a hamstring tear if you experience these symptoms:
- Hearing a “pop” when you sustain the tear
- Feeling sudden, intense pain
- Swelling within hours of your tear
- Bruising in the days following your injury
A torn hamstring may also cause noticeable weakness in your leg, as well as an inability to put your full weight on that leg.
You’re at risk for hamstring tears when your muscles are tight and fatigued and get overstretched with too much weight or stress. Sports like basketball, football, soccer, and dancing raise the likelihood that you’ll suffer a tear. Balance problems and inadequate conditioning also contribute to them.
And hamstring tears don’t discriminate. Adolescents, whose muscles and bones are growing at different rates, older people with tight muscles, and athletes are all prone to hamstring tears.
Types of hamstring tears
You may only strain your hamstring, or it might tear, either partially or fully. A tear can range in severity from mild symptoms (a level 1 tear), symptoms that are of medium intensity (level 2), and the most serious, a complete tear (level 3).
An avulsion is the most brutal of these tears, and happens when the tendon that connects your muscle to your bone actually separates, possibly even pulling part of your bone away with it.
Can I just see if my hamstring tear will heal by itself?
It’s not the best idea. Even if you have a mild tear, it always pays to have Dr. Coleman evaluate it, because you simply can’t ascertain the level of injury properly by yourself. He gathers detailed information from you about how your injury occurred and how long you’ve been suffering, and orders imaging tests to see the full extent of your injury.
Once Dr. Coleman arrives at a definitive diagnosis, he’s able to create a well-informed treatment plan for you. If it turns out you have just a partial tear, he may prescribe rest and a course of physical therapy to get you back to feeling 100%.
If you suffered a complete tear or serious partial tear, however, Dr. Coleman typically needs to address it surgically. He fixes partial tears by repairing your torn muscle tissue, and if you have an avulsion, he takes out any scar tissue, places your hamstring correctly again, and reattaches your muscle and tendon to your bone using either staples or stitches.
Rest and physical therapy are musts after these procedures as well, so you can gain full strength, flexibility, and range of motion again.
Call our office location most convenient to you to schedule an appointment if you suspect you’ve torn your hamstring, or contact us through our website.