Hamstring muscle injuries are common, particularly in athletes. Mostly, hamstring muscle injuries are half tears of the muscle. These forms of injuries, referred to as muscle strains, occur once the fibers that compose the muscle are stretched into their standard limits. Symptoms of a hamstring muscle strain will embody pain, bruising, swelling, and issue with bound movements, notably athletic activities.
Sometimes, the injury to the hamstring is additional severe. Complete tears of the hamstring usually occur once the tendon is torn faraway from the pelvis at the top of the muscle. once the tear is incomplete, the hamstring muscle is just stretched too far away, however not fully detached. once these tears become complete, the injury is additionally important, and therefore the ends of the muscle no longer connected.
These complete tears got to be recognized as completely different injuries. whereas typical hamstring strains are treated with easy steps (rest, ice, medications, therapeutic activities), complete tears of the hamstring might need additional invasive treatments.
How Tears Happens
A complete hamstring tear usually happens once there’s an unexpected flexion of the hip joint and extension of the knee. once the hamstring muscle contracts, it’s stretched faraway its limits.
People who sustain this kind of injury usually describe a pointy stabbing within the back of the thigh, like they were shot in their higher thigh. The injury might occur during a high-level athlete player or an old individual. Not everyone who sustains an entire hamstring injury is an elite athlete player.
Symptoms
People who sustain this injury usually expertise an unexpected sharp pain. The pain level is quite important, and it’s usually tough to move following the injury. a number of the common signs of an entire tear of the hamstring include:
- Sharp pain at the junction of the body part and thigh
- Difficulty walking
- Spasm and cramping sensations within the back of the thigh
- Swelling and bruising within the back of the thigh, and later the bruising travels additional down the leg
- Numbness and weakness of the leg as a result of nerve irritation
The symptoms could also be tough to visualize within the earlier stages, however following an entire hamstring tear typically important swelling and bruising that develops within the back of the thigh. Over time, this bruising can migrate down to the rear of the knee and calf all the way into the foot. Sitting will usually be tough for these individuals because the edge of a chair can place pressure directly on the positioning of the injury.
Diagnosis
An x-ray of the hip or thigh is usually obtained, however usually traditional. In some cases, a fraction of bone is going to be realized of the pelvis beside the attachment of the hamstring muscle. additional usually, x-rays are common. MRI testing is performed to judge the attachments of the hamstring. The MRI will outline crucial options of an entire hamstring muscle tear including:
- The number of hamstring tendons concerned
- Complete versus incomplete tearing
- The amount of retraction (how to force back the tendons have become)
- These are the options that may guide the treatment of the injury.
Treatment
The treatment of an entire tear of the hamstring can depend upon a couple of various factors. As mentioned on top of, the MRI will provide valuable data regarding the severity of the injury, and these factors will facilitate guide treatment. the opposite variable is that the patient and their expectations. Treatment is most aggressive in younger, high-level athletes. Treatment is usually less aggressive in those who are additional inactive.
Most often, a single tendon tear is treated nonsurgically. when only one tendon is concerned, it’s usually not forced back very far from its standard attachment and can scar into an honest position. On another hand, once 3 tendons are torn, they’re usually forced over a couple of centimeters away from the bone, and sometimes these patients can do best with a surgery repair by the help of ortho implants provided from orthopedic products manufacturers.
There is additionally a debatable on the middle ground once 2 tendons are torn. Most surgeons can use patient characteristics (high-level contestants or additional inactive individuals?) to guide their treatment recommendations.
Rehabilitation
Rehab following surgery is critical and usually takes regarding 8-12 months till athletes have come to sports. the primary six weeks are confined to restricted weight-bearing with the utilization of crutches. Patients can wear a brace to limit the quantity of tension on the repaired hamstring tendons.
Following that early section of rehabilitation, folks can step by step to increase the vary of motion. important strengthening won’t begin till a minimum of 3 months postoperatively, and even light-weight jogging activities are usually delayed beyond that.
Full recovery from an entire hamstring muscle injury will take 8-12 months. various studies have shown even high-level athletes are ready to resume competitive sports when undergoing repair of acute hamstring muscle injury.
The delayed operation might not result in the best result. Once the tendon is torn faraway from its traditional attachment, it’ll begin to scar all the way down to the encompassing soft tissues. once there’s a delay of over a couple of weeks following the initial injury, acquisition of the complete length of the connective tissue and muscle is tough. this might delay the rehab protocols and will additionally limit the potential for a full recovery.
Because of this long recovery timeline, some people who weren’t athletic might opt for medical procedure treatment. However, generally, these folks complain of symptoms of discomfort from sitting in sure positions, and that they might exhibit long-run weakness of the hamstring muscle.
