Hamstring Cramps

The hamstring muscles, along with the quadriceps, calves, feet, hands, and abdominals are the most common muscle groups affected by cramps. It is estimated that 95% of the populations will have a cramp at some time during their life, with the risk of cramping increasing with age.

A muscle cramp may occur during activity but can also occur when you are sitting or even sleeping. Cramps can be a minor annoyance or extremely painful and can cause you to immediately stop whatever you are doing until the pain passes.

A cramp can involve the entire muscle, only part of it, or the group of muscles that act together (i.e. the hamstring group of muscles; semitendinosus, biceps femoris, and semimembranosus).

The hamstring muscles are long muscles that cross 2 joints, your hip and knee, and work by contracting and expanding.

The contraction and expansion motion of the hamstring muscles is determined by the signals that are sent to the brain. When a muscle contracts involuntarily (i.e. the signal for the muscle to contract overcomes the signal for it to expand, or relax) it can result in a hamstring muscle cramp.

In some cases, a severe muscle cramp may not release on its own and stretching it manually may be necessary to help relax and lengthen the contracted muscle. If the connective tissue attached to the muscle is weak or the cramp is particularly severe, it may cause the tendons or ligaments to strain or tear. For someone with weak bone structure (i.e. severe osteoporosis), muscle cramps have even been known to cause bone fractures.

Causes of Hamstring Cramp

A muscle cramp is caused by abnormal activity in the hamstrings, either in the nerve signals or within the muscles themselves. This abnormal activity can be caused by:

• Vigorous activity - the cramp may occur during the activity or several hours later.
• Muscle fatigue from overexerting or repetitive use of the muscle, or from sitting in an awkward position.
• Lactic acid build up when overloading or overexerting the muscle.

• Low electrolyte levels or dehydration - Muscles require water, calcium, magnesium, and potassium to function properly.
• A muscle that has been overstetched or held in one position for a long time.
• New exercises that involve unused muscles.
• Inadequate blood supply caused by narrowing of the arteries (atherosclerosis).
• Multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy, other nervous system diseases, or spinal cord damage.
• Disease such as diabetes, kidney disease, anemia, or thyroid abnormalities.

Hamstring Cramp Symptoms

When you experience a cramp in the hamstring muscles you may feel:

• A sudden burst of pain, often severe, that stops after a few seconds to a few minutes.
• A bulge in the cramped muscle that will feel very hard and tense.
• Tenderness and swelling that may last for several days.
• Night time wakening if the cramps occur during sleep (nocturnal cramps).

Treating a Cramp in the Hamstring Muscle

Hamstring cramps are frustrating to live with especially when they occur during activity and sports. Keeping your body hydrated and replacing electrolytes during and following activities are positive steps toward preventing cramps. There are also home therapies, Blood Flow Stimulation Therapy^™ and therapeutic ultrasound, that you can use to relax your hamstring muscles and keep them healthier to reduce the occurance of muscle cramping. These therapies will get you back to regular activities sooner, stop your muscle pain, and reduce the risk of hamstring muscle injury and further cramps.

If there is no inflammation and swelling in the muscles that are cramping, a quick and painless way to get rid of a cramp is to increase blood flow to the muscles. Blood Flow Stimulation Therapy^™ (BFST^®) promotes blood flow to the back of your thigh bringing the necessary oxygen and nutrients to your muscle fibers. BFST^® speeds up the body's natural repair process and loosens the contraction by relaxing the fibers.

The Inferno Wrap^® is the tool you need to treat your hamstring cramp and help prevent future cramps. Not only does it help you maintain healthier hamstring muscles through BFST^®, the gentle internal warming that is produced with the increase in blood flow relaxes your thigh muscles and reduces cramps. In addition, the improved blood flow whisks away dead cells and toxins that have built up from your hamstring cramps, further loosening your muscles and reducing pain.

Keeping your muscle fibers hydrated, nourished and as healthy and strong as possible will help you reduce and even eliminate annoying and painful cramps. The Leg/Arm Inferno Wrap^®, available exclusively from MendMeShop^®, provides effective, non-invasive, non-addictive pain relief and muscle relaxation without side effects.

The benefits of BFST^® do not end once your hamstring stops hurting! Even when your upper thigh muscles are not cramping, 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 useful for years to come!

Click here to learn more about how BFST^® and Inferno Wraps^® work.

Keeping your hamstring muscles loose and healthy will help to reduce the chance of muscle cramps occuring. If you are already experiencing muscle cramp, treating your hamstring with ultrasound therapy will reduce tightness and improve your range of motion.

Healthy tissue is strong and elastic but when muscle fibers have been injured or overused they are weaker and the once healthy tissue is held together with scar tissue. Healthy tissue allows your muscles and tendons to expand and contract easily, without pain and with less risk of tearing again. Scar tissue leaves your muscles tight, prone to injury, and limits your range of motion!

Therapeutic ultrasound is the most effective and pain-free way to soften scar tissue that has formed in the muscle from slight tears or injury over time. Physical therapy, manipulation, and deep tissue massage can also help to treat scar tissue but these methods can be expensive, time consuming, painful, and in some cases, may require further tearing to loosen the scar tissue.

A personal MendMeShop^® Ultrasound Therapy Unit allows you to treat your hamstring injury and cramp 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. With only 15 minute treatments, 2 times a day, you can treat your hamstring too improve the range of motion in your upper leg. That's all it takes to get your hamstring muscle back to normal and you back to your activities!

Click here to learn more about Ultrasound Therapy

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 muscles where it is most effective to reduce tension and pain. And that's not all - our Lavender Infusion Ultrasound Gel is free of the potentially harmful ingredients of paraben, DEA, or 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!

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