# Belly of the Hamstring Strain



## michaeldmanthey (Jan 21, 2009)

I recently strained my left hamstring. I am not sure when or how I did it. It started feeling tight on Saturday and by Wednesday I knew that I should no longer do any form of exercise that has to do with my hamstring. I can walk just fine and can even pedal but I am not because I do not want to injure my hammy anymore than it is. 

I got a massage today- 45 minutes all on the hamstring. My IT band was super tight and painful. Most of the pain is in the Belly of my hamstring. It is NOT sore near the top of my leg or near my knee. 

If you have had a injury similar to mine then please post HOW LONG it took you to recover. 
Also any tips to expediate recovery would be great as well.

I have been doing RICE and have now switched to heat, Massage by therapist, Epson salt bath, myofacial massage, Advil. I have not been doing to much stretching because I am afraid of injuring the muscle even more.


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## michaeldmanthey (Jan 21, 2009)

I am feeling better today. It has been a week since I think the injury started. I hope to get back on the trainer tomorrow for an easy spin maybe about an hour. The good thing about a trainer for this type of ride is that I can stop at anytime and already be at home.


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## Dream Plus (Feb 12, 2004)

I've got no advice, only what I experienced.

The last Hamstring injury I had was in September. I could ride almost immediately. I couldn't ride hard. I felt like I could, but after a certain number of minutes, my hamstring would complain. I set out to increase the length of time I could ride hard, and I got some good PT.

It allowed me to recover pretty well. It's been 6 months. The hamstring still limits me at times with discomfort, but only if I'm pushing it. Some days it's fine and I can complete my intervals as planned.

It's tough, but accept that you are injured. Test yourself but "try" to be realistic. More easily said than done or we wouldn't be human. Oops, that sounds like advice. Sorry.



michaeldmanthey said:


> I am feeling better today. It has been a week since I think the injury started. I hope to get back on the trainer tomorrow for an easy spin maybe about an hour. The good thing about a trainer for this type of ride is that I can stop at anytime and already be at home.


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## michaeldmanthey (Jan 21, 2009)

*Your Torn Hamstring*

Hi Dream Plus,

I read about your hamstring tear during a cross practice. That sounded pretty dramatic. Have you been wearing compression and doing heat wraps? Do you have a good warm-up routine? Best of luck. I hope you heal soon and get back to 100%,


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## michaeldmanthey (Jan 21, 2009)

Last year I injured my knee. I lowered my seat about 1 inch and then did a few 50 mile plus rides in the cold. My knee started to hurt a the top of the knee cap but I continued ride and race. After a race I was not able to walk. Ignoring the injury was not a good decision. This time with my hamstring injury I have elected to follow the advice of sport injury websites and it has worked like a charm. It is never easy to stop working out for a period of time but the results of letting my hamstring heal will be far superior to riding on it. Today, less than 7 days later, my hamstring has no pain. I am going to continue to take it easy until Thursday.


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## GTJohn (Feb 12, 2009)

I've had hamstring problems for years. Once you injure them they are a little more fragile than before.

Just make sure to comeback gradually instaed of going at it full force right away.

Make sure to keep your hammys warm, that always seems to help me.


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## rogueturtle (Mar 13, 2004)

alternating 20min of heat---followed by 20 min of cold----as many times as you can--will promote healing. In college our trainers would do 10 rotations per day and it would significantly speed up the healing (blood flow in with heat) and (exit with cold).

The best is a hot tub- followed by cold plunge tub if you have access to it----the easiest is a moist hot pad from a Hydrocollator---and ice bags inside a towel(to prevent ice burn). dry heat pads from the drugstore dont cut it. 

When you get back to your old self----you NEED to do a ton more stretching the proper way. For your hammys- you should do an activated stretch when warm-following a ride. Stand against a wall with your back-and hips flush with a chair in front of you----then lift your leg and set your heel on the chair (preferably soft cushioned).........with your leg(not fully locked out at the knee) (slight bend) apply some downforce with your heel (via yourleg) against the cushion downward. Basically try to put a good 5-10lbs of pressure against the chair........youwill feel your hamstring and entire chain from your glutes to your hamstring activate. You should cock your foot (toes) back while you do this---it will add to the calf activation in the chain from glutes-to heel. Apply this pressure and hold the stretch(activation) for 30 seconds then relax. 

The key to this is keeping your hips perpendicular to your leg. PUT both hands on your hips while doing this to make sure when you lift your leg to the chair---that your hips sit even----it shouldnt be higher on the leg up side. And both hips(glutes) should be against the wall with the leg sticking perpendicularly out from the hip. IF you cant keep your hips the same height---or keep perpendicular---you likely are too stiff and need to find a lower chair height til you can get the proper setup (perpendicular). In an ideal world---you should be able to get your leg up to counter height eventually and get your hips set perfectly squared---same height---and leg perpendicular to hip. Chair height is for beginners and fairy inflexible hamstrings. (aka-many bikers). Counter height or height of your hips should be the goal to stay injury free-----and to be a ninja----you can get to the point where you can throw your heel on a buddys shoulder and then apply 50lbs of downforce while perpendicular and heel/foot cocked.

In general---your quad to ham strength should be a 3:2 ratio of strength---ie if you can do 60lb leg extensions for sets of 10.........you should be doing 40lbs on the hamstrings. When this ratio is out of whack---you will be more likely to injur. 

If you are feeling tight in the chain anywhere behind the knee or along the calf---those are the spots that are actually tightest in the chain. You will need to do ample stretching to move beyond those areas and into the hamstring. Probably 2 times per day---plus 1 for every time you ride. 

When you do these stretches cold----you should simply tension the chain (by pushing the heel down with the leg against the chair) with as little pressure as possible.....or you will tear fibres. Think of a rubber band that is simply taught---not stretched. Maybe just a lb. of pressure is all it takes to make your muscles taught and feel a slight tensioning vs. stretch. Hold the cold ones for 1min. The fully warmed ones- you can push and hold.....your leg will likely shake at the end of your 30seconds.

If you struggle with chair height---find something lower like stool or couch that sits a bit lower. If you are struggling with setup and squaring up at chair height----your flexibility or lack thereof is whats at fault. It should take about a month 2-3 times per day to get up to counter height/hip height which should be your target to try and maintain minimum. 

Conceptually--biking is tightening your hamstrings every ride. If you dont stretch them the proper way---you will ever so slightly approach a point at which you are so inflexible that the muscle cant handle sudden impact and exertion without tearing and injury. 

Muscles can only tear a few times before scar tissue forms which will stay---and muscle fibres are not returned/healed to flexible fibre.......at this point you become more prone to future tears as the muscle has now scarred. Rolfing is about the only way to get in and break up this scar tissue that ive found successful. Ultrasound is another---but i dont think can get deep into the larger muscles the way rolfing does. Safest bet is to stay flexible and avoid retearing as much as possible.


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## rogueturtle (Mar 13, 2004)

Heres a shot of what it should look like---knee slightly bent (not locked out)---heel on chair----hands on both hips----check that both hips/hands are same height and perpendicular to your leg(if you were lookign from above).......height of the chair/heel height can vary according to your flexibility................id say to start with the seat of the chair first......and then work your way up to hip/counter height as in pic.


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## michaeldmanthey (Jan 21, 2009)

It has now been about 2 weeks since I first noticed that something was not right with my left hamstring. I am very pleased to say that I have almost had a complete recovery. I had no pain or even thought of pain during a 2 hour mtb ride today. I am continuing the compression, epson baths, massage and stretching maybe even forever. I no longer will skip warm-ups or cool downs.


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## slowrider (May 15, 2004)

*The hamstring is a tough one*

I've been fighting mine for about 6 weeks. I first injured it on a steep singletrack climb on my single speed, the whole trail sloped to the center and the back tire slipped on some seeds from a tree down into the rut, stopping me but I was still balanced and tried to power out of it. I felt a sharp twinge but I finished the ride and continued to ride 3 times a week without any pain, just a bit of tightness. I started stretching having realized I don't do it enough and took a week off. I felt great and performed well on a 23 mile ride with tons of climbing but had a bike vacation coming in 2 weeks so I stayed off the bike for that time and then went on vacation. I felt weak during that trip and stretched a little too aggressively and came home in bad shape, planning to take 2 more weeks off. 
After 3 weeks off and feeling tightness but no pain I've done 4 rides in 3 weeks, 3 of them 7 miles or less and one 14 miler, all with a freind that has been off the bike for 5 or 6 months so the pace has been easy.
I've tried stretching (gently) tons of Ibuprofen, heat, cold, hydromassage and no hard work of any kind and it's not changing.
I'm going to have to go to PT which I hate after my shoulder surgery, but it feels like I may never get stronger if I don't.
Glad to hear the original poster has had some success with his recovery.


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