chronic hamstring issue

[yadav]

hi all. about 6 months ago i tore my left hamstring while playing a game of football. it happened while i was in full stride as i guess most hammy injuries do. based on what ive read i would describe it as probably being a grade 1 tear as i did not have any swelling or major restrictions in movement.

at the time i iced it, did a bit of time on the exercise bike, stretched it and returned to sport after 3 weeks.

now i jog around 10-12k's a week and my hamstring never gives me an issue.

but every time i run in full stride it basically jams up, becomes tight and sore and stays that way for 1-2 days. i would say it has happend 6+ times since the initial injury.

so what do i need to do to get it back to how it should be?

[Heidi]

Hi

Hamstrings can be troublesome following injury. My advice is to get two or three good sports massages to relax the muscle and reduce any scar tissue present which is inelastic and doesn't align with the rest of the muscle fibres.

Also stretch 3 times a day to ensure good flexibility and do some strengthening exercises such as knee curls and squats/lunges every other day to make sure it is as strong as the other hamstrings.

If all of this fails, you need to look more deeply into it, prehaps at core strength (the hamstrings attach to the pelvis and so a weak core provides an unstable base for the hamstrings) and more dynamic forms of strengthening such as beginners plyometrics.

http://www.sportsinjuryclinic.net/cybertherapist/back/hamstrings/hamstringstrain.htm