How long does it take to heal a strained hamstring?

Question:

I think I strained it by going to the gym. I've been to the doctor four different times and they all have said the same thing, "it takes time." It's been since Febuary and it's been getting worse.It's possible that I re-injured it in May by playing baseball. I had an MRI done 2 weeks ago and they said everything looks normal. I've been going to physical therapy for two weeks now,and he told me to stretch 4 times a day and to ride a stationary bike. I've also been using crutches for about 5 weeks now. It only hurts when I stand up or walk. How long does it usually take to heal?

Answers:
Whenever I've seen a strained or pulled hamstring in the past, I have found that there are usually other muscle imbalances in the spine, hips, legs and ankles as well. A thorough and balanced stretching and gentle strengthening program, once implemented, with breathing and relaxation, helped restore these patients to pain-free activities.

Furthermore, I agree with the respondent who suggested that the pain could be originating from your low back. An MRI could be useful here, but is not mandatory. Again, a well-balanced stretching & strengthening program, including exercises for the low back may be helpful. If you are performing the proper stretches, using the breath and mindfulness to relax tight areas, stretching once a day may be more than enough. Again, I would look at other muscles and joints first before concentrating on hamstring stretches.

It is also possible that stretching the hamstrings so much could exacerbate the symptoms, especially if there is an underlying disk or nerve problem. I've had great results using neural flossing techniques with an irritated sciatic nerve (from multiple causes).

I know this doesn't answer your question specifically, but I hope that this helps.

Best,
scginnyc
Physical Therapist & Certified Yoga Instructor

Stained hamsting usually takes about four to six weeks. It sounds like your physical therapist really didn't do much for you. I am wondering what they are doing with you at phyical therapy. Are they doing myofascial release (basically massage) to your hamstring. It sounds like you re-injured your hamstrings playing baseball and that will add time to your recovery. You need someone to go in and break up the scar tissue that has been formed on your muscles. If you don't get this done right you will continue to have trouble with your hamstrings. This is why in like baseball once a player gets a problem with there hamsting in the middle of the season you always hear of them re-injuring the hamstring. They don't allow enough time for the trainers to properly take care of the hamstring. Hope this helps

Have you had the lumbar spine thoroughly ruled out as a cause? Disc related back problems can frequently refer pain to the back of the leg...commonly thought to be a hamstring strain.

I would say that if you reinjured it in May and it still isn't better 3 months later...espeically if you've been on crutches and stretching, it may be time to look into other possibilities.

If you had a partial tear, I might expect the pain to last this long, but as you said, your MRI (i'm guessing of your leg) was normal.

Sounds suspicious to me.

How long does it take to heal a strained hamstring?

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