On each thigh there are three muscle groups located at the rear and was named hamstring muscle. If this muscle sprain then it will lead to a hamstring injury.
Certain sports at risk of causing a person to get this injury. Football, basketball, tennis, rugby or other sports that require running and braking continuously. A dancer or runners are also at risk of suffering a hamstring injury due to compression of the exercise on the part of the thigh.
How Can Hamstring Muscle Get Injured?
In everyday activities, such as standing and walking, hamstring muscles are not used too much. But when we bend the knee, running, jumping, and climbing, the muscles become very active. Hamstring injuries can occur immediately due to the sudden movement or too explosive. The actions that related to these high risk conditions, for example due to a run, crashing, or jump.
Muscle damage can also occur gradually or during slow movements. The slow movement of a hamstring injury risk is exaggerated stretching movements.
If a person has been experience this injury, it is likely it will recurrent someday. This especially can happen to those who work as athletes or sportsmen.
Hamstring injury itself is divided into three categories if based on the severity level:
- Category I: happens when the hamstring muscle to stretch or mild stretch. This injury requires a few days of recovery.
- Category II: happen to a person who suffered partially torn hamstring muscle. Injuries of this category require recovery of several weeks to several months.
- Category III: the hamstring injury which occurs when tearing in the entire muscle. Injuries of this category requires restoration for a few weeks to a few months.
Hamstring Muscle Injury First Aid Treatment
To relieve the pain that appears, some of the actions below may help relieve it.
- Compress legs with ice to reduce pain and swelling. Do it every 2-3 hours for 20-30 minutes for a few days after the injury.
- Give pressure by putting on an elastic bandage on the injured area.
- When sitting or lying down, put your legs on a pillow so that its position is higher than the body.
- If necessary, take painkillers may be beneficial. However, you should consult your doctor to avoid the potential risk of side effects.
- As part of the healing process, doing stretching exercises and muscle strengthening. Do this according to the recommendation of your doctor.
- Rarely, surgery may be required in some cases to recover the damage of the hamstring muscle.
To avoid hamstring injury, stretching and muscle strengthening is the part that must be implemented. In addition, warm up before exercise can reduce the risk of this injury.
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