Hamstring Strain

Raju (not his real name) is an ex-International hockey player who suddenly suffered from a sharp pain in the back of his right thigh while sprinting towards the 'D'. He thought that it was just a muscle cramp and wanted to play. I ran on the pitch and took him off. He tried to stretch himself but he could not due to the pain. He refused to be strapped and wanted to go into play again but he could hardly straighten his leg.

I quickly iced his hamstring and wrapped it with crepe bandage. After 10 minutes, I reviewed the injury and found that he could hardly lift leg against gravity. Upon palpation, I found out that he had a deep tenderness along the sides of the semimembranosus tendon (musculotendinous junction).

He was advised to obtain an Ultrasound scan to determine the extent of damage (partial tear). He was advised to continue RICE treatment and asked to continue treatment of his Sacroiliac Joint Dysfunction. We also advised him to warm-up, stretch and drink-up (rehydrate with sports drinks or water) adequately.

It should take him at least 6 - 8 weeks to recover adequately with rehabilitation exercises. However, he would be reviewed every 2 weekly do assess his progress. He would also require a fitness test before return to sport.