Grade 3 Hanstring Injury

Hi there,

Back in Nov 09, i was playing sunday football, I was sprinting after the ball (I'm quite quick) and my hamstring went. I dropped on a heap on the floor in pain. I come off an just rested and it.
The next time i decided to play was the start of Feb 10, thats a good few months off playing. I managed to get through the next 2 games in feb no problems, just the fact it may go again.
And ya guessed it it did on my 3rd game in Feb. This time the pain was unthinkable, swelling for weeks, so i want to the docs, got booked for an ultrasound scan.
The scan showed a 3inch tear and damaged tissues.
Now i had to wait for physio an still waiting now, thats the NHS for you.
But while im still waiting for that, my whole leg when i sit down throbs an hurts till i can get it in a way that it dont. why is this?
It hurts my whole thigh an my lower leg and getting hip and lower back pain all on the same side of my hamstring anyone any ideas why this could be or wat it is?.

Hey Bazza

Quote:

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my whole leg when i sit down throbs an hurts till i can get it in a way that it dont. why is this?
It hurts my whole thigh an my lower leg and getting hip and lower back pain all on the same side of my hamstring anyone any ideas why this could be or wat it is?.

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You most likely have irritated your sciatic nerve at the same time as the repeat tear to the hamstrings. This is a common sequel with hamstring tears but often goes undiagnosed. The sciatic pain arises when you sit down when your spine is bent as it is in sitting and the hip is bent. It will generally be made worse if you extend the knee while in that position. It can account for the pain in the back, hip thigh and lower leg.

The reason the sciatic nerve injury happens at the same time is because both hamstring muscles and the sciatic nerve a stretched when you bend your hip and straighten your leg at the same time. In fact the hamstrings protects the sciatic nerve from injury, so when you tear the hamstrings you tear the nerve at the same time. Here is a picture of the nerve on one side and the hamstrings on the other:


Nerve pain is another issue altogether. The pain is often out of proportion to the injury. The body provides the nerve with a lot of sensitivity to pain. Nerves are essential structures for movement and sensation and are very delicate so nature makes them very sensitive in hope of you avoiding injuring them.

A MSK physio can confirm this for you and often help sciatic pain although they are more difficult to treat. while managing this yourself try not to aggravate it. It is important not get into a position where you get the pain as this may just irritate the nerve more. when sitting try to keep the knee as bent as possible. Sometimes (but not always) keeping an arch in your low back by a tightly rolled up towel just above the belt line and sitting back in the chair can help. another thing is keeping knees well separated can help. The aim is to put slack on the nerve so it isn't being stretched in anyway. Experiment with this and see if you can find a way to get comfortable