Hamstring Contusion

A hamstring contusion is caused by a direct hit to the hamstring muscles at the back of the upper thigh and is very common during a collision in contact sports, such as football or rugby. A hard shot from a ball or hockey puck during play can also result in a contusion of the hamstring muscles. When the hit occurs, the muscle is crushed against the bone causing tissue damage that may result in swelling, bruising, pain, and limited movement in the upper leg.

Depending on the direction and force of the hit, and the strength of the hamstrings, the symptoms of a contusion can range from mild tenderness in the area to pain so severe you are not able to walk properly.

Intramuscular and Intermuscular Contusions

If the tissue damage, or tearing, occurs in the muscle and the fascia (muscular sheath) surrounding the muscle is not torn it is called an intramuscular contusion. The term intermuscular contusion is used when both the muscle and the fascia are torn.

If the contusion is intramuscular the bleeding is contained within the muscle sheath so visible bruising may not occur. However, pressure in the muscle increases from the bleeding which can cause pain and make movement difficult.

In the case of and intermuscular contusion, the blood escapes through the torn fascia and a bruise is usually visible. Healing time for an intermuscular contusion is generally faster than and intramuscular contusion because the blood and other fluid do not build up in the muscle which can cause swelling and blocked blood vessels.

For any hamstring contusion, the amount of time needed to heal can be reduced if cold compression therapy is applied at the time of the hit and frequently during the following 72 hours.

Hamstring Contusion Symptoms

The symptoms of a hamstring contusion will differ depending on the severity of the impact. If you have suffered a hamstring contusion you will probably experience some degree of pain when walking uphill or up stairs, running, lunging, kicking, jumping, or bending forward. Other symptoms may include:

Grade 1 – Mild Contusion

• Tenderness in the area of the injury
• Slight swelling, if any
• Tightness in the calf muscles
• Possible difficulties walking but range of motion isn't affected much

Grade 2 – Moderate Contusion

• Limping
• Swelling
• Pain during activity and when pressure is applied at the injury site
• Limited movement
• Inability to stretch as far as usual
• Pain and stiffness with rest following activity, especially in the morning

Grade 3 – Severe Contusion

• Extreme pain at the time of injury with pain continuing for a few days
• Sudden and noticeable swelling
• Swelling and bruising that may extend down to the knee and calf
• Muscle spasm
• Weakness in the hamstring muscles
• Walking is impossible without assistance or crutches
• Difficulties sleeping due to pain

Treating a Hamstring Contusion

Hamstring pain is frustrating to live with and healing can take a long time because it's difficult to give your leg the rest it needs. This is especially true for runners and other athletes that return to their sport too early. However, resting your leg, and taking the pressure off by using crutches, is one of the best things you can do to allow healing. Jumping, running, kicking or lunging should be avoided to reduce stress on the posterior thigh muscles.

Treating a hamstring contusion with cold compression therapy as soon as you can, and for the first 72 hours following injury, will help with recovery by reducing swelling and tissue damage. In the early stages of the injury, avoid stretching, massage, or heat treatments as it may lead to further bleeding in the area.

The initial treatment of a hamstring injury or re-injury is cold compression therapy. Treating an injury with cold compression therapy as soon as you can is important because it decreases swelling and inflammation. This limits the amount of tissue damage that occurs within the first 72 hours of an acute strain.

When a hamstring pull or tear occurs we think the damage is done at the time of the injury. In reality, the tissue damage continues to occur even after the injury has happened. Yes, at the time of the injury blood vessels are damaged. But after the injury, swelling and inflammation set in and block blood vessels causing further damage.

Blood contains oxygen that is vital to the survival of your tissue cells. Blocked blood vessels can no longer carry blood to your cells and the cells begin to break-down further damaging your injured muscle. By applying cold compression therapy to a fresh injury or re-injury you reduce tissue damage and reduce the amount of healing that will be required to get your hamstring muscles and tendons back to normal.

Aside from preventing tissue damage, cold compression therapy reduces pain by gently numbing nerves in the injured area and providing comforting support to your hamstring muscles. Initially, you may use pain killers or anti-inflammatory medications but these can affect your organs and should never be used for a long period of time. Cold compression therapy is the natural way to reduce leg pain quickly.

The Leg/Arm Freezie Wrap^® cold compression therapy is an effective and innovative way to treat your painful hamstring symptoms. The therapy behind the Freezie Wrap^® has been doctor recommended for centuries but the Freezie Wrap^® itself is a new, safer way to get it!

The cooling gel packs inside the Freezie Wrap^® have been designed with ColdCure Technology^®. This allows the pack to be supercharged in the fridge, not in the freezer like ice or other freezer packs. This gives you deep cold compression therapy without the risk of 'cold burns' or cryoburn to the layers of your skin. This unique technology, inside a soft and completely adjustable neoprene wrap, gives you comfortable, convenient, and effective cold compression therapy.

Have a Leg/Arm Freezie Wrap^® on hand to treat your hamstring after activity and following any re-injury to calm inflammation, treat pain quickly, and stop further tissue damage. The wrap is so versatile you can use it on your arm, foot, calf, and almost everywhere on your body. Have one in your fridge ready when you need it!

Click here to learn more about Cold Compression Freezie Wraps^®

Once the initial swelling and severe inflammation of your hamstring injury is under control, you can begin the healing process. Therapeutic ultrasound treatments can further reduce inflammation, kick start the healing process, and treat scar tissue as it begins to form.

One of the most common complaints after a hamstring injury begins to heal is tightness and a limited range of motion. The tightness is caused by tough fibrous scar tissue build up on the muscles and/or tendons. Scar tissue is the body's way to heal tissue quickly. It forms at the site of the injury to repair tears, small or large. Although it repairs the tears, scar tissue is inflexible, prone to re-tearing, and can cause pain. Healthy tissue is stronger and more elastic.

Healthy tissue allows your muscles and tendons to expand and contract easily, without pain and with less risk of tearing again. Treating scar tissue is the only way to restore muscle function properly and get your range of motion back!

Therapeutic ultrasound is the most effective and pain-free way to soften scar tissue and return the tissue to a stronger state. Physical therapy, manipulation, and deep tissue massage can help to treat scar tissue but these methods are expensive, time consuming, and painful.

A personal MendMeShop^® Ultrasound Therapy Unit allows you to treat your hamstring injury conveniently in your own home, on your schedule, and for less time and money than any other method. Therapeutic ultrasound also treats inflammation, which speeds along the healing process. A 15 minute treatment, twice a day, will speed healing and further reduce your pain while improving the range of motion in your upper leg.

Click here to learn more about Ultrasound Therapy

In addition, hamstring contusions and other injuries can lead to overuse injuries if left untreated. Hamstring pain can cause you to re-adjust your posture and change your gait to take weight off your sore hamstring muscles. This can cause excess strain in your back, hip, knees and ankles. The MendMeShop^® Ultrasound Therapy Unit can be used to treat all of your strains and tears, as well as other painful conditions like bursitis, tendinitis, and joint pain. It is a great tool to have on hand for so many soft tissue injuries!

Enhance Your Ultrasound Treatments With Phonophoresis

When using an ultrasound unit, proper conductive ultrasound gel is required. Without it, the sound waves will not transfer into the tissue making the treatment ineffective. Although you will receive all the benefits of ultrasound therapy with standard ultrasound gel, medicated ultrasound gel can multiply the benefits without any extra time or effort. All you have to do is use medicated gel instead of standard ultrasound gel during your treatments.

Here's how it works! The sound waves carry the medicinal molecules found inside the gel deep into your tissue. This process is known as phonophoresis and it increases the healing power of therapeutic ultrasound.

Our exclusive MendMeShop^® Lavender Infusion Gel is specially formulated with Natural Bulgarian Lavender, Peppermint, Eucalyptus, and Menthol. These ingredients have been used for centuries to reduce inflammation and relax tissue to speed healing. Now they are available in this incredible ultrasound gel to give you 2 therapies in 1 treatment. You get the benefit of the regenerating sound waves from the ultrasound device itself AND the added bonus of the therapeutic ingredients inside the gel being delivered straight to your hamstring injury where it is most effective to reduce your pain and heal. And that's not all - our Lavender Infusion Ultrasound Gel is free of the potentially harmful ingredients of paraben, DEA, and dyes.

1 FREE bottle of MendMeShop^® Lavender Infusion Ultrasound Gel comes with every MendMeShop^® Ultrasound Therapy Unit. If you have skin sensitivities or are sensitive to scents, you have the option of using our Non-fragrant Ultrasound Gel with your MendMeShop^® Ultrasound Therapy Unit. This gel is formulated without medicinal ingredients so there is no risk of irritation AND just like our Lavender Infusion Gel, it does not contain paraben, DEA, or dyes!

Once inflammation and swelling have been reduced in your hamstring muscles, nourishing and strengthening the tissue in your upper leg is the goal. Blood Flow Stimulation Therapy^™ (BFST^®) promotes blood flow to the treatment area bringing the necessary oxygen and nutrients to your muscle fibers. BFST^® speeds up the body's natural repair process for faster healing and stronger tissue.

When you rest and stop moving your leg because it hurts, the natural blood flow is reduced. Without proper blood flow, musclar atrophy (shinkage or deterioration of a muscle) can occur as your body's ability to heal itself becomes limited. You need to improve blood flow while giving your hamstring the rest it needs. That's where the Inferno Wrap^® comes in.

Not only does the Inferno Wrap^® speed your recovery through BFST^®, the gentle warming that is produced with the increase in blood flow relaxes your thigh muscles and and whisks away dead cells and toxins that have accumulated from your hamstring injury. This further loosens your muscles and makes your hamstring feel better.

Keeping your leg muscles as healthy and strong as possible throughout the healing process will allow you to get back to your regular activities faster. The Leg/Arm Inferno Wrap^®, available exclusively from MendMeShop^®, provides effective, non-invasive, non-addictive pain relief and healing with no side effects.

The benefits of BFST^® do not end once your hamstrings stop hurting! Even when your upper thigh muscles have healed, your activities can put them at risk of an overuse injury, tightness, or strain. An Inferno Wrap^® treatment before activity is an easy way to warm up the muscles and prepare them for use. Then, end your day with another treatment to prevent tightness from setting in overnight. This incredible healing tool will be the ticket to healthy hamstrings for years to come!

Click here to learn more about how BFST^® works.

With these 3 easy therapies - cold compression, ultrasound, and BFST^® - you can treat your hamstring injury properly and completely.

• Calm Inflammation
• Reduce Swelling
• Soften Scar Tissue
• Increase Range of Motion
• Stop Pain
• Promote Blood Flow
• Speed Healing
• Prevent Atrophy

You will notice significantly reduced pain and an incredible improvement in your hamstring range of motion.

During your recovery, you may have to modify and/or eliminate any activities that cause pain or discomfort in your hamstring until your pain and inflammation settle. The more dedicated you are with your treatment and rehabilitation, the faster you will see successful results!

Please be aware that this information is neither intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. CALL YOUR HEALTHCARE PROVIDER IMMEDIATELY IF YOU THINK YOU MAY HAVE A MEDICAL EMERGENCY. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider before starting any new treatment or with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.

Or email us at service@AidYourHamstring.com