How to treat a Hamstring Injury

A hamstring injury can be painful, but most heal without needing any surgery.  While treating this type of injury, the main objective is to restore normal muscle functions and prevent scar tissue from forming.  The treatment should begin with what is known as RICE, which consists of rest, ice, compression, and elevation.  These steps should be taken seriously, as any further strenuous activity can aggravate the injury and cause more damage to the injured muscles. In some severe cases of a hamstring injury, it may be necessary to use of a splint or crutches, otherwise the RICE method should work sufficiently.

So, put your feet up, this takes care of resting and elevation, next, apply an ice pack to the area.  A bag of frozen peas or corn also works well if you do not have ice packs on hand.  Compression just refers to wrapping the injured area, with some type of bandage made for wrapping strains and sprains.  By using all three of these methods, you will help ease your pain and reduce the swelling of your injury. Ice packs and bandages can be purchased from your local durable medical equipment company. This type of store is usually referred to as a DME, and carries medical supplies, like wheel chairs, crutches, gauze, bandages, and a lot more.  You can also find a good variety of bandages at your local super market, or pharmacy store.

As soon as the pain starts to go away, and the swelling is reduced, you should then begin do stretches and exercises designed to help heal the hamstring injury.  At this point, you do not want to return to strenuous physical activities, like running, because you risk re-injuring what has already begun to heal, and increasing your odds of having permanent damage.  Your muscle and tissues still need time to heal, and stretching and gentle range of motion exercises are made to gently work the muscles and help prevent scar tissue build up.