Hamstring/back problem (More info inside)

[sheargraphix]

Hi guys,

I wasn't really sure where to post this due to the fact that this could be down to one of two things so I will give you a little background on my health and hopefully that should help.

I had a pretty serious operation on my spine at 17, where the second from bottom vertebra was removed due to being broke and I had a bone graft taken from my hip which was inserted at my spine. I then had steel rods placed either side of my spine along with 3 metal bolts holding them in place.

I am now 23 and I have started to play 5 a side football again (soccer) twice a week and last night I had some real problems with my left hamstring. It wasn't as though I pulled it, it just seemed to get really tight and then would ease of and then would become rock solid and stopped me from running. I did get the odd twinge but nothing too serious.

My hamstring is still feeling tight today when I stretch it, however I am able to walk without it feeling too weird.

I understand that the nature of my spine it may be related to that, however I'm not sure if I have actually just pulled my hamstring. I first found out that I had an issue with my spine due to having a tight left hamstring, which is what has happened again.

I would like to know, what are the best exercises to strengthen my hamstring/back, how long should I leave my hamstring before doing sport again and what exercises/stretching should I be doing before playing?

Thanks,
Ross.

[Heidi]

Hi
You will know if you have injured your hamstring because there is usually a tender spot that you can touch and it hurts. You may have to dig about quite deep! If you do this, or gget someone else to and you can't find anything, then it is possibly related to your back injury.
I would strongly recommend that you visit your Doctor or whoever dealt with the back injury previously. Just to get the back checked out to make sure there are no problems there.