edward February 25, 2019 Leg, foot and ankle
Hamstring Strain / Physical Therapy Trainings

ORTHOPEDICS/LEG, FOOT & ANKLE/THERAPY & SURGERY

Hamstring Tear Best Trainings

During hamstring strain physical therapy, various trainings may help increasing circulation, improving the muscles contractions and decreasing pain.

Trainings are the recovery most important modules.

The question: which trainings are the best following a hamstring strain?

This list is a sample trainings progression during rehab after a hamstring strain:

  1.  Hamstring Stretches

There are several behaviors to start stretching the hamstrings after a hamstring strain.

Start gradually and smoothly by increasing the intensity of each stretch for four to six weeks.

  • The hurdler stretch
  • The towel hamstring stretch
  • The amazing standing hamstring stretch

Each stretch can be maintained for 15 to 30 seconds, and you can do three to five repetitions.

  •  Hamstring Strengthening Exercises

This rehab part should focus on hamstring strengthening.

  • Prone knee curls (start with only gravity as your resistance, and then make things more challenging by adding cuff weights)
  • Standing hamstring curls
  • Ball bridges with knee flexion
  • Seated hamstring curls with a resistance band

Do not forget to start out gradually and then progress by increasing the number of repetitions of each exercise or by adding resistance with cuff weights or resistance bands.

  •  Calf Strengthening Trainings

Keep in mind, your hamstrings cross your knee joint in the back and your calf muscles cross there as well, so do not forget them while recovering a hamstring damage.

Your calf and hamstring make effort together to help supporting your knee, so performing calf strengthening trainings can help supporting your entire lower extremity.

Trainings to strengthen the calves may include:

  • Calf raises
  • Theraband strengthening trainings
  • Alfredson protocol for Achilles strength

Each one of these exercises should be done for 10 to 15 repetitions several times per week.

Stop training if any calf exercise starts increasing pain in your damaged hamstring.

  •  Hip and Quad Stregnthening Trainings

Your hip muscles, help controlling the leg position as you are walking or running.

If your hips are weak, your lower leg may rotate inwards and put intensive stress on your knee and the muscles around it.

Maintaining your hips strong can help alleviate this intensive stress on your hamstring muscles, which may help protecting them from further damage after a hamstring strain.

Trainings for your hips and quads should be performed 10 to 15 repetitions, 3 to 4 times per week.

  •  Abdominal and Core Steadiness

Knowing that the abdominal and core muscles attach to the top of your pelvis, and your hamstrings originate from the bottom of your pelvis; therefore, maintaining your core strong can affect pelvic position, and a pelvis that is not in optimal position may put amplified stress and strain on your hamstring muscles.

Abdominal and core strengthening trainings may include:

  • The pelvic tilt
  • Bridges
  • Steadiness ball bridges
  • Planks
  • Quadruped trainings

Do not forget to start with an easy exercise that puts negligible stress on your hamstrings, and progress to more challenging movements as your hamstring heals.

  •  Balance and Proprioception Movements

You should work on balance and proprioception movements as part of your hamstring strain rehab plan.

Balance movements may include:

  • Single leg stance
  • The T-stance
  • The BAPS board (typically done in the PT clinic)
  • Using a wobble board while standing on one foot
  • Medicine ball balance trainings

Be safe:

To improve your balance, you must create conditions that challenge your balance, and this may put you in a state where you can fall.

Be certain you remain safe while performing your balance trainings by keeping something nearby that you can hold onto to hold yourself.

  •  Plyometric And Getting back to Sport Trainings

This type of movements may include:

  • Drop-jump movements
  • Single leg hop movements
  • Box jumping

All of these movements have one common: they put high extents of stress on your lower extremity muscles and joints.

Remember that everyone is different, and everybody heals at different rates.

The best way to understand what trainings you should do for your hamstring rehab is to work strictly physical therapist.