Hamstrings Are To Blame for Painful Walking

Having trouble walking, squatting, or experiencing pain around our knee area, is an indicator of a hamstring injury.

Where are Our Hamstrings?

Our hamstring muscle group is located on the backside of our thigh and is made up of three muscles. These three muscles originate on the hip bone and attach to the knee joint. When these muscles contract, your knee bends into a flexed position, when they relax, your knee is able to straighten back out. The hamstrings work together with the quadriceps muscles to control and stabilize your knee joint. These two muscle groups must stay balanced power-wise to ensure safe and effective mechanics during activities such as walking, running, squatting, or jumping. When one group outpowers the other, injuries can result.

The Most Common Form of Hamstring Injury

Muscle strains are one of the most common types of hamstring injuries you can experience. A muscle strain is a stretching and sometimes even tearing of the muscle or tendon.

Symptoms of a Muscle Strain Include:

• Pain
• Swelling
• Muscle Spasms
• Tenderness
• Restricted Range of Motion

Symptoms of a Muscle of Tendon Tear Include:

• Pain
• Swelling
• Bruising
• Possibly a Divot In the Muscle
• Sometimes a Mass That Has Been Caused by the Muscle Rolling up Into a Ball

How do These Types of Injuries Occur?

Injuries like this are usually caused by:

• Inadequate Warm-up
• Lack of Stretching
• Muscle Imbalance or Weakness
• Poor Footwear

Immediate treatment is very important for torn muscles to begin healing and fiber realignment. The length of time for the muscle to heal is dependent on the severity of the strain or tear. As with any injury, the sooner you start treatment, the better the results will be.

Regardless of the severity of your hamstring injury, at Comprehensive Physical Therapy, we will tailor a treatment plan to ensure effective healing and improve muscle balance to decrease the threat of future injuries. Call our office TODAY at (985) 869-7221.

The results you want. The care you deserve.

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