Massage Therapy & Hamstring Injuries
The hamstrings are three muscles on the back of your thigh. Hamstring injury is due to overuse or trauma. One of the factors in hamstring strain is an imbalance between the hamstrings and the quadriceps muscles. Massage can help to prevent hamstring injuries by balancing the muscles on the front and back of the leg. If you have a hamstring injury, massage can speed the healing, reduce pain and minimize scar tissue 3.
Hamstrings
The hamstrings are three muscles in the back of your thigh: the semitendinosus, semimembranosus and biceps femoris muscles. All three are anchored on the ischium, the "sitting bone." The semimembranosus and semitendinosus muscles insert on the medial, or inside, side of your leg below the knee. The biceps femoris inserts on the outside of your leg, below the knee. Together the three muscles bend your knee and extend your hip. Picture the movement your leg makes when you draw it backward before swinging it forward to kick a ball. The backward movement is controlled by the hamstrings.
- The hamstrings are three muscles in the back of your thigh: the semitendinosus, semimembranosus and biceps femoris muscles.
Injuries
Torn Tendons & Ligaments From Hyperextension
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Hamstring injuries are graded into three categories: minor tears within the muscle, a partial tear of the muscle or a severe tear or rupture. Strain, or minor tears, will feel somewhat painful but not interfere significantly with movement. A muscle tear will be more painful, there may be swelling, and bending or straightening the knee will be difficult. If there is a severe tear or rupture, there will be immediate swelling and bruising, severe pain and you may need to use crutches to walk. You will be able to feel a depression in the muscle where the rupture occurred.
- Hamstring injuries are graded into three categories: minor tears within the muscle, a partial tear of the muscle or a severe tear or rupture.
- You will be able to feel a depression in the muscle where the rupture occurred.
Treatment
The usual treatment for hamstring injuries is rest, ice, compression, elevation and massage. People with minor hamstring strains or tears often won't see a doctor but will self-treat or seek out a massage therapist for treatment. A severe tear or rupture often requires surgery to reattach the muscle and tendon. If the pain is severe, your movement is significantly limited and the condition is not improving, see a physician to rule out a ruptured muscle or a fracture before having massage.
- The usual treatment for hamstring injuries is rest, ice, compression, elevation and massage.
Massage
Hyperextension of the Calf
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The goal of massage is to speed healing, reduce muscle tightness and build healthy scar tissue. Once the injury has been examined to rule out any contraindications, the therapist begins with gentle massage to reduce swelling and speed healing using lymph drainage massage or gentle Swedish massage to stretch the muscle fibers. After stretching the entire muscle, the therapist will work to soften and mobilize tissues in the injured area.
- The goal of massage is to speed healing, reduce muscle tightness and build healthy scar tissue.
- Once the injury has been examined to rule out any contraindications, the therapist begins with gentle massage to reduce swelling and speed healing using lymph drainage massage or gentle Swedish massage to stretch the muscle fibers.
Rehabilitation
As the injury heals the therapist will switch to deeper work, including transverse friction, across the injured muscle fibers, to help build healthy scar tissue. The massage therapist will use deep lengthwise strokes and kneading to make the muscle more pliable, and will move the leg to engage the muscles while simultaneously massaging the injured muscle, mimicking the effects of exercise.
Related Articles
References
- "Massage Magazine"; Hamstring Strain; Whitney Lowe
- Massagetherapy.com; Running Injuries, Part 3; Zhenya Kurashova Wine; October/November 2000
- Sports Injury Clinic: Pulled Hamstring/Hamstring Pain
- Messer DJ, Bourne MN, Williams MD, Al Najjar A, Shield AJ. Hamstring muscle use in women during hip extension and the Nordic hamstring exercise: a functional magnetic resonance imaging study. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther. 2018;48(8):607-612. doi:10.2519/jospt.2018.7748
- Moatshe G, Chahla J, Vap AR, et al. Repair of proximal hamstring tears: a surgical technique. Arthrosc Tech. 2017;6(2):e311-e317. doi:10.1016/j.eats.2016.10.004
- Erickson LN, Sherry MA. Rehabilitation and return to sport after hamstring strain injury. J Sport Health Sci. 2017;6(3):262–270. doi:10.1016/j.jshs.2017.04.001
- Cleveland Clinic. Is your leg pain sciatica or something else? Updated December 10, 2019.
- Schmitt B, Tim T, McHugh M. Hamstring injury rehabilitation and prevention of reinjury using lengthened state eccentric training: a new concept. Int J Sports Phys Ther. 2012;7(3):333–341.
- American Academy of Pediatrics. Treating sports injuries with ice and heat. Updated November 21, 2015.
- Shanks P, Curran M, Fletcher P, Thompson R. The effectiveness of therapeutic ultrasound for musculoskeletal conditions of the lower limb: A literature review. Foot. 2010;20(4):133-139. doi:10.1016/j.foot.2010.09.006
- Ramos GA, Arliani GG, Astur DC, Pochini AC, Ejnisman B, Cohen M. Rehabilitation of hamstring muscle injuries: a literature review. Rev Bras Ortop. 2016;52(1):11–16. doi:10.1016/j.rboe.2016.12.002
- Chu SK, Rho ME. Hamstring injuries in the athlete: diagnosis, treatment, and return to play. Curr Sports Med Rep. 2016;15(3):184–190. doi:10.1249/JSR.0000000000000264
Writer Bio
Ramona French owned a massage school and taught massage for 28 years. In that time she wrote textbooks on Swedish, acupressure, deep tissue and lymph drainage massage. She is the author of "Introduction to Lymph Drainage Massage" and "Milady's Guide to Lymph Drainage Massage." Her book, "The Complete Guide to Lymph Drainage Massage," published by Milady, was released in October 2011.