Athletes who frequently run, jump and kick are at risk for hamstring injuries like a strained or torn hamstring muscle. At the Children’s Health℠ Andrews Institute for Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine, we offer a range of treatments and programs to help athletes recover from common to complex hamstring injuries. Our sports medicine specialists work with your athlete to help them safely return to activities and lower the risk of future hamstring injuries.
Overview
What are pediatric hamstring injuries?
Hamstring injuries are a common sports injury. The three hamstring muscles in the back of each thigh help bend and straighten the legs when a person runs, jumps, kicks and lunges. Injuries occur when hamstring muscles pull or stretch more than they should, causing tears in the muscles. Our doctors are experts at diagnosing and treating all types of hamstring injuries.
Types
What are the different types of hamstring injuries?
Orthopedic doctors assign a grade from 1 to 3 to indicate the severity of hamstring injuries. Athletes recover faster from grade 1 (mild) injuries than grade 3 (severe) injuries.
Hamstring strain (grade 1 hamstring injury)
A hamstring strain is a type of muscle strain that occurs when the hamstring muscle stretches beyond its normal range. You may also hear the term “pulled hamstring.” Hamstring strains in athletes most commonly occur in the middle of the back of the thigh where the muscle transitions into tendon (a strong band of tissue). A hamstring strain is a mild (grade 1) injury. However, it increases an athlete’s risk of a more serious injury like a torn hamstring.
Partially torn hamstring muscle (grade 2 hamstring injury)
Tiny tears form when a hamstring stretches too far. With a partial tear, the hamstring muscle remains mostly intact and the tendon still connects it to a bone. A partial hamstring tear is a moderate (grade 2) hamstring injury. Without proper treatment, the hamstring muscle or tendon can tear completely.
Completely torn hamstring muscle (grade 3 hamstring injury)
A hamstring strain or partial tear can cause the hamstring muscle to completely tear apart. The tendon may also tear away from a bone. In severe instances, the tendon takes a piece of bone with it (an avulsion injury). A completely torn hamstring or avulsion injury is a severe (grade 3) injury.
Signs and Symptoms
What are the signs and symptoms of hamstring injuries?
Hamstring injuries cause musculoskeletal pain in the back of the thigh. This pain comes on suddenly when the injury occurs, usually while an athlete is running, jumping or kicking. Depending on the severity of the hamstring injury, an athlete may stop their activity, fall to the ground or favor their uninjured leg and hop to the sidelines. A hamstring tear may cause a popping sensation in the injured leg.
Other signs of a hamstring injury include:
Swelling in the thigh a few hours after the injury
Bruising on the back of the leg below the knee that comes on a few days after the injury
Inability to put weight on the injured leg
Muscle weakness that persists for weeks
Diagnosis
How are hamstring injuries diagnosed?
Our pediatric orthopedic and sports medicine specialists have deep expertise in diagnosing hamstring strains and tears. We often make a diagnosis after conducting a physical exam and evaluating symptoms.
We may also use advanced imaging tests to determine the severity of the hamstring injury. These tests include:
MRI or ultrasound to determine muscle and tissue damage.
X-rays to check for an avulsion injury or stress fracture.
Causes
What causes hamstring injuries?
Growth spurts during the teen years can contribute to hamstring injuries. During a growth spurt, a teen’s bones grow faster than their muscles. The growing bones pull on muscles and tendons, stretching them tight. A sudden jump, kick or impact can cause an overly tight hamstring muscle or tendon to pull or tear.
Common causes of hamstring injuries in athletes include:
Muscle imbalance (having one leg stronger than the other)
Muscle overuse (an overuse injury)
Overloading muscles with bodyweight like when sprinting or suddenly stopping and pivoting
Poor sports conditioning
Tight quadriceps muscles in the front of the thigh
Weak or fatigued leg muscles
Treatment
How are hamstring injuries treated?
Without proper treatment and rehabilitation, there’s a high risk of hamstring reinjury and chronic problems. Our team customizes a treatment plan that takes into account the type of activity and injury to ensure a safe return to play as quickly as possible. We offer a full range of treatments and rehabilitative services for athletes.
Treatments for hamstring injuries
Hamstring injury treatments include:
Limiting activities until symptoms improve
Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) to ease pain and inflammation
RICE: Rest, ice, compression and elevating the injured leg
Using crutches to take the weight off the injured leg
Plasma-rich platelet (PRP) injections to speed the healing of injured muscles and tendons
Orthopedic surgery to treat an avulsion injury and reattach a torn tendon to bone (torn hamstring muscles often heal over time without surgery)
Specialized rehabilitation programs
The Andrews Institute brings together all the experts and services an athlete needs to return to play.
We offer:
Sports rehabilitation to build strength, endurance and agility.
Physical therapy to improve flexibility and mobility with stretching exercises.
Bridge training via the Sports Performance powered by EXOS program to help athletes resume activities as they finish physical therapy.
Running Program to learn proper running techniques that lower the risk of reinjury.
Dance Sports Medicine Program to ease the transition back to dance at the end of physical therapy.