Rehabilitation Programs for a Pulled Hamstring

A woman at a physical therapist appointment. Photo Credit Wavebreakmedia Ltd/Wavebreak Media/Getty Images

A pulled hamstring is a term sometimes used to describe a strained or torn muscle in the back of your thigh. This type of injury can vary in severity from a minor tearing of your muscle tissue to a complete muscle rupture. Rehabilitation programs for a pulled hamstring depend on the degree of muscle damage you experience.

Pulled Hamstring Basics

Your hamstring muscle group includes the biceps femoris, semitendinosus and semimembranosus muscles. Together, these muscles help you bend your knee joint and extend your hip joint backward. If you have minor tears in one or more of your hamstrings, your injury will be classified as a Grade 1 strain. Grade 2 strains involve partial tears in your affected muscles, while Grade 3 strains involve tears that severely or completely separate the tissues in your affected muscles. People prone to pulled hamstrings include sprinters, hurdlers and those involved in sports such as basketball or football, which require you to make abrupt starts and stops.

Grade 1 Rehab Guidelines

If you have a Grade 1 hamstring pull, the first couple of days of your rehabilitation will typically include rest, cold therapy, use of a compression bandage and exercises called knee extensions. After three days, you will switch from cold therapy to heat therapy and start performing exercises that include standing hamstring curls and motionless, or static, hamstring stretches. You may also receive a massage for your affected tissues. Once your recovery is pain-free, you can add light jogging to your program and gradually return to full activity.

Grade 2 Rehab Guidelines

If you have a Grade 2 hamstring pull, the first three days of your recovery will include extensive rest, application of a cold source and use of a compression bandage. The next four days or so will include exercises such as pain-free static stretches, knee extensions and reverse straight leg raises, as well as massage and strengthening exercises for your groin and hip muscles. As your rehab progresses, you will start heat therapy before exercising, use light weights to perform leg curls, perform exercises called bridges and start cycling or swimming. Toward the end of your recovery, you can start more rigorous leg exercises and begin a gradual return to your normal activities.

Grade 3 Rehab Guidelines

If you have a Grade 3 hamstring pull, you will need to rest, ice, compress and elevate your injured thigh for a full week and use crutches to get around. In the second week of your recovery, you will start heat treatments and perform exercises that include static stretches, static contractions, mobility exercises for your hamstrings and strengthening exercises for your groin and hip. For the next two weeks you will continue to perform hamstring exercises and start cycling or swimming. During the remainder of your recovery, you will increase the intensity of your exercises and start gradually returning to your everyday activity routine.

Consult your doctor before you begin any rehabilitation program for a pulled hamstring and follow the specific rehabilitation program outlined by your doctor and physical therapist.

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