Has anyone pulled a hamstring?

[Pete]

I’m 51, very active, well I pulled my hamstring playing tennis the other day.   Its a nagging injury, but the first time i pulled it.  My pull looks connected to my calves.  I’ve been trying to massage out scar tissue, icing, strengthening.  What’s the recovery time?  What rehab should I be doing?  When can I run again?   I’m trying to post picture of big bruise, but it’s too large a file.  Thanks for any advice, cheers!
 

 

[Ridgewaycynic2013]

Had mead107 started this thread, I would have been suspicious...???

*
No, I haven't.

[T&C]

1 hour ago, Pete said:

I’m 51, very active, well I pulled my hamstring playing tennis the other day.   Its a nagging injury, but the first time i pulled it.  My pull looks connected to my calves.  I’ve been trying to massage out scar tissue, icing, strengthening.  What’s the recovery time?  What rehab should I be doing?  When can I run again?   I’m trying to post picture of big bruise, but it’s too large a file.  Thanks for any advice, cheers!
 

 

Sorry to hear this Pete... hope you are on the mend soon. This should give you an idea of what you're looking at and what to do, there are different levels so I guess you have to figure out which one you are: https://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/hamstring-strain#1

[4merper4mer]

I have pulled many hamstrings but never my own.

[mead107]

1 hour ago, Ridgewaycynic2013 said:

Had mead107 started this thread, I would have been suspicious...???

*
No, I haven't.

Have you ever pulled the string at the Y ? 

[Ridgewaycynic2013]

55 minutes ago, mead107 said:

Have you ever pulled the string at the Y ? 

On a Sunday morning, and on a 'family friendly' forum?!  ?  I feel like Sam the Eagle from the original Muppet Show.

[Gugny]

3 hours ago, Pete said:

I’m 51, very active, well I pulled my hamstring playing tennis the other day.   Its a nagging injury, but the first time i pulled it.  My pull looks connected to my calves.  I’ve been trying to massage out scar tissue, icing, strengthening.  What’s the recovery time?  What rehab should I be doing?  When can I run again?   I’m trying to post picture of big bruise, but it’s too large a file.  Thanks for any advice, cheers!
 

 

 

This sucks; sorry to hear it.  I haven't pulled a hamstring since high school football, but I don't ever remember the pain going all the way down to may calf, nor do I remember visible bruising.

 

Hoping one of the resident docs checks in, but this sounds like more than a pulled hammy.  Good luck, Pete!

[PromoTheRobot]

Luckily I never have. It might be because of my years of playing hockey goalie. Lots of stretching involved. I've also never rolled an ankle. Not saying I'm Superman. Lots of other things break on me.

[Augie]

I pulled one playing tennis in my 40’s. It took months to fully get over it. I got a Velcro strap I could wrap around it which allowed me to get back on the courts sooner, but it did this funny thing when I walked, made my leg kind of kick up abnormally, like walking was new to me. But it did protect me. 

 

As Gugny said, I’m not sure what the bruising (blood) is about or why it’s down into your calf. I had nothing like that. Have you gone to see anyone about this? It sounds like maybe you should.  Good luck getting thru this. 

[EmotionallyUnstable]

Rest and time are your friend. When you are ready to get back into it, spinning/biking are a low impact way to get the blood pumping back into the muscles. I'd be very careful to stretch, or push too quickly. A lot depends on the severity of the pull. Does it hurt when you walk?

[May Day 10]

There is no escape

 

Basically, no "explosive" sports like tennis or baseball/softball.

 

You will think you're healed, try playing, pull it again, and be back to square 1.  

 

Jogging, swimming, skating/hockey are ok.  

 

Basically it's time that's needed.  Good stretching from now on

 

[Seasons1992]

4 hours ago, mead107 said:

Have you ever pulled the string at the Y ? 

 

[Just Jack]

5 hours ago, mead107 said:

Have you ever pulled the string at the Y ? 

 

Yes

 

[mead107]

4 hours ago, Ridgewaycynic2013 said:

On a Sunday morning, and on a 'family friendly' forum?!  ?  I feel like Sam the Eagle from the original Muppet Show.

Back when GE paid for us to join the Y I did have a slight pull. 

[Ridgewaycynic2013]

2 minutes ago, mead107 said:

Back when GE paid for us to join the Y I did have a slight pull. 

D'oh!  OK...?

[Shaw66]

2 hours ago, May Day 10 said:

There is no escape

 

Basically, no "explosive" sports like tennis or baseball/softball.

 

You will think you're healed, try playing, pull it again, and be back to square 1.  

 

Jogging, swimming, skating/hockey are ok.  

 

Basically it's time that's needed.  Good stretching from now on

 

This.

 

I dont know about your calf.  Not sure why that would be.

 

The inside of pretty much my entire thigh turned all kinds of black and blue for at least a couple of weeks.  

 

Listen to you body.  It tells you not to run when you think you can. Give it plenty of time.  

[4BillsintheBurgh]

On 6/14/2020 at 8:02 AM, Pete said:

I’m 51, very active, well I pulled my hamstring playing tennis the other day.   Its a nagging injury, but the first time i pulled it.  My pull looks connected to my calves.  I’ve been trying to massage out scar tissue, icing, strengthening.  What’s the recovery time?  What rehab should I be doing?  When can I run again?   I’m trying to post picture of big bruise, but it’s too large a file.  Thanks for any advice, cheers!
 

 

Blood/bruise is indicitive of a tear, more than a pull. Confused about the calf connection, hammies connect to the same side of your knee as the acl ligament but not directly to the calf. Sounds like you should see someone to get the entire scope of your issue. 

Edited June 15, 2020 by 4BillsintheBurgh

[PastaJoe]

I twisted my knee playing hockey last year, but even after it healed my hamstring and calf were hurting for months. Finally went to a sports therapist who thought I also strained my hamstring. I went twice a week for two months where he used ultrasound and taught me stretching exercises to do at home, and it eventually went away. I’m 59 and I don’t heal as quickly as I used to.

[JohnC]

14 hours ago, Pete said:

I’m 51, very active, well I pulled my hamstring playing tennis the other day.   Its a nagging injury, but the first time i pulled it.  My pull looks connected to my calves.  I’ve been trying to massage out scar tissue, icing, strengthening.  What’s the recovery time?  What rehab should I be doing?  When can I run again?   I’m trying to post picture of big bruise, but it’s too large a file.  Thanks for any advice, cheers!
 

 

There's a famous doctor who is an expert in your type of lingering and frustrating injury. Give him a call. He will give you clear and understandable instructions on how to return to form. 

 

https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=doctor+irwin+corey&docid=607990725548704372&mid=3B3C574658E0212448F63B3C574658E0212448F6&view=detail&FORM=VIRE

Edited June 15, 2020 by JohnC

[Augie]

19 minutes ago, JohnC said:

There's a famous doctor who is an expert in your type of lingering and frustrating injury. Give him a call. He will give you clear and understandable instructions on how to return to form. 

 

https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=doctor+irwin+corey&docid=607990725548704372&mid=3B3C574658E0212448F63B3C574658E0212448F6&view=detail&FORM=VIRE

 

I am sensing Peter Pan here........maybe I’m just a scardy cat? Maybe I am learning? 

[Royale with Cheese]

Depending on the severity....anywhere from 3 weeks to 3 months.  You’re older than Jack Black so you won’t heal as quickly.

[Miyagi-Do Karate]

15 hours ago, Pete said:

I’m 51, very active, well I pulled my hamstring playing tennis the other day.   Its a nagging injury, but the first time i pulled it.  My pull looks connected to my calves.  I’ve been trying to massage out scar tissue, icing, strengthening.  What’s the recovery time?  What rehab should I be doing?  When can I run again?   I’m trying to post picture of big bruise, but it’s too large a file.  Thanks for any advice, cheers!
 

 

Only rest will help, unfortunately. I wouldn’t try to push it, or else you will just keep re-aggravating it.

 

i have had an assortment of sports injuries after the age of 40 and its all because I don’t properly stretch and then when I do get a pull or something, I just play through it and make it much worse. 

[Pete]

[Pete]

6 hours ago, JR in Pittsburgh said:

Only rest will help, unfortunately. I wouldn’t try to push it, or else you will just keep re-aggravating it.

 

i have had an assortment of sports injuries after the age of 40 and its all because I don’t properly stretch and then when I do get a pull or something, I just play through it and make it much worse. 

I pulled it playing tennis against my girlfriend.  I said “a smart person learns from their mistakes, a smarter person learns from other mistakes”. My big mistake was not warming up properly, which I’m usually fanatic about

[Ridgewaycynic2013]

16 minutes ago, Pete said:

I pulled it playing tennis against my girlfriend.  I said “a smart person learns from their mistakes, a smarter person learns from other mistakes”. My big mistake was not warming up properly, which I’m usually fanatic about

I think the biggest mistake was that rug.

*
?

[Pete]

3 minutes ago, Ridgewaycynic2013 said:

I think the biggest mistake was that rug.

*
?

Lol not my rug.  It’s my miss Lebowski’s 

[Ridgewaycynic2013]

1 minute ago, Pete said:

Lol not my rug.  It’s my miss Lebowski’s 

Really brings the room together. ?

[Mark80]

23 hours ago, Pete said:

I’m 51, very active, well I pulled my hamstring playing tennis the other day.   Its a nagging injury, but the first time i pulled it.  My pull looks connected to my calves.  I’ve been trying to massage out scar tissue, icing, strengthening.  What’s the recovery time?  What rehab should I be doing?  When can I run again?   I’m trying to post picture of big bruise, but it’s too large a file.  Thanks for any advice, cheers!
 

 

Yes.  And ugh.  I pulled mine in like 2008.  It was one of those where you could feel it "pop."  It was the most painful injury I have ever suffered (short term), and that includes tearing my ACL.  I could hardly bend it or walk for about a week, then slowly it came back.  However, it is still to this day not right.  I can still feel the spot where it happened in my leg.  If I try to exert myself I have to be extremely careful not to do anything to it again.  Often I can feel it getting tender and I have to stop an activity before I do something bad to it.  Doesn't really affect light strain, but heavy strain is iffy.  Lots of stretching before doing anything I know may be stressful on it.  Quite frankly, it sucks and will continue to suck for the rest of my life. 

 

There is a reason you always see athletes re-injure their hammy's.  Once you have a big one, the chances for re-injury is very high...and they are using the best doctors and PT people in the world.

 

I would do a ton of stretching constantly.  And then, when you think it doesn't hurt anymore do a ton of stretching for a few more weeks until you try getting back into things for real.  It may feel healed, but that can change in an instant when you push it.  Don't try to rush it, you will re-aggravate it.

 

Hopefully yours wasn't as serious as mine my friend.  I literally cannot sprint any longer without feeling something and stopping pretty quickly.

Edited June 15, 2020 by Mark80

[Seasons1992]

9 hours ago, JohnC said:

There's a famous doctor who is an expert in your type of lingering and frustrating injury. Give him a call. He will give you clear and understandable instructions on how to return to form. 

 

https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=doctor+irwin+corey&docid=607990725548704372&mid=3B3C574658E0212448F63B3C574658E0212448F6&view=detail&FORM=VIRE

 

[Pete]

36 minutes ago, Mark80 said:

Yes.  And ugh.  I pulled mine in like 2008.  It was one of those where you could feel it "pop."  It was the most painful injury I have ever suffered (short term), and that includes tearing my ACL.  I could hardly bend it or walk for about a week, then slowly it came back.  However, it is still to this day not right.  I can still feel the spot where it happened in my leg.  If I try to exert myself I have to be extremely careful not to do anything to it again.  Often I can feel it getting tender and I have to stop an activity before I do something bad to it.  Doesn't really affect light strain, but heavy strain is iffy.  Lots of stretching before doing anything I know may be stressful on it.  Quite frankly, it sucks and will continue to suck for the rest of my life. 

 

There is a reason you always see athletes re-injure their hammy's.  Once you have a big one, the chances for re-injury is very high...and they are using the best doctors and PT people in the world.

 

I would do a ton of stretching constantly.  And then, when you think it doesn't hurt anymore do a ton of stretching for a few more weeks until you try getting back into things for real.  It may feel healed, but that can change in an instant when you push it.  Don't try to rush it, you will re-aggravate it.

 

Hopefully yours wasn't as serious as mine my friend.  I literally cannot sprint any longer without feeling something and stopping pretty quickly.

Thank you Mark.  I'm sorry to hear about your injury.  Mine was nowhere near as severe.  Still it was very painful.  I can only imagine how painful yours was.  When a sprinter locks up and grabs the back of their leg-that has to be intense pain.  

Brother have you tried myofascial massage for your hamstring?  It works out scar tissue which is root source of many hamstring injuries.

 

Do you think this might be an ACL?

 

[Pete]

Mark- I’ve been having some success treating my hamstring doing that myofascial technique in video.

So I applied same massage technique to my tennis elbow which has been in a constant dull pain for decade.  I massaged elbow with massage ball.  Find a spot that is tender.  Work out that spot only- after 10-15 seconds, pain should diminish. Stick with it.  I hope it works for you brother.  
Oh yeah- my tennis elbow pain went away!

Hope brother!

 

[Mark80]

2 minutes ago, Pete said:

Mark- I’ve been having some success treating my hamstring doing that myofascial technique in video.

So I applied same massage technique to my tennis elbow which has been in a constant dull pain for decade.  I massaged elbow with massage ball.  Find a spot that is tender.  Work out that spot only- after 10-15 seconds, pain should diminish. Stick with it.  I hope it works for you brother.  
Oh yeah- my tennis elbow pain went away!

Hope brother!

 

 

From my experience if it was ACL you would know it.  You would have felt your knee go out of its socket when it happened (albeit briefly) and then the next day your knee would be extremely swollen and painful (not so much pain for me when it actually happened).  My ACL injury didn't have any bruising.  That bruising looks like a muscle issue to me and I've seen pulls/strains have that.  When my hammy popped, it did not have the bruising though.

 

Thanks for the advice, however, my whole leg is f'd.  I never got my ACL repaired and I think it has directly resulted in the Hammy injury as well as some lower calf/achilles injury.  Not getting the ACL fixed led to overcompensating for it, I believe.  Can hardly even jog anymore because of the lower calf / achilles.  Most of my exercise is restricted to the treadmill (walking), ellipticals, and bikes these days.  And all of those are sooooo much more boring than sports.

[JohnC]

10 hours ago, Augie said:

 

I am sensing Peter Pan here........maybe I’m just a scardy cat? Maybe I am learning? 

The truth is out there. You just need to seek it. And when you find it don't be afraid of it. Just embrace it. That is not to say that your loved ones will consider you crazy. 

 

https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=x-file+the+truth+is+out+there&docid=608008296244776736&mid=D34889F93C6A6705D86BD34889F93C6A6705D86B&view=detail&FORM=VIRE

[4BillsintheBurgh]

47 minutes ago, Mark80 said:

 

From my experience if it was ACL you would know it.  You would have felt your knee go out of its socket when it happened (albeit briefly) and then the next day your knee would be extremely swollen and painful (not so much pain for me when it actually happened).  My ACL injury didn't have any bruising.  That bruising looks like a muscle issue to me and I've seen pulls/strains have that.  When my hammy popped, it did not have the bruising though.

 

Thanks for the advice, however, my whole leg is f'd.  I never got my ACL repaired and I think it has directly resulted in the Hammy injury as well as some lower calf/achilles injury.  Not getting the ACL fixed led to overcompensating for it, I believe.  Can hardly even jog anymore because of the lower calf / achilles.  Most of my exercise is restricted to the treadmill (walking), ellipticals, and bikes these days.  And all of those are sooooo much more boring than sports.

Yeah, your hammy and acl kind of work on the same side of your knee to stabilize it, like the PCL and quad do on the other side. The ACL is a ligament so it won't bleed. Pete, after you get healed up, you may find that your hamstring is a little weaker now, you may want to work on strengthening it a little more. Start slowly of course and check it against your right leg with single leg curls or similar. 

 

Full disclosure, I am not a doctor or anything, I have a partially torn PCL from college athletics and I did tear my hamstring 10 or so years after that. I thought the hamstring was a pull until when my ex-SIL started on a massage career, needed patients for class and she could feel the remnants of the tear in my muscle.

[Miyagi-Do Karate]

2 hours ago, Pete said:

Mark- I’ve been having some success treating my hamstring doing that myofascial technique in video.

So I applied same massage technique to my tennis elbow which has been in a constant dull pain for decade.  I massaged elbow with massage ball.  Find a spot that is tender.  Work out that spot only- after 10-15 seconds, pain should diminish. Stick with it.  I hope it works for you brother.  
Oh yeah- my tennis elbow pain went away!

Hope brother!

 

Don’t get me started on tennis elbow! I suffered through that for over a year! Couldn’t even shake someone’s hand. 

[Steptide]

I've done it a few times. It's terrible. Makes it hard to do just about anything 

[May Day 10]

the blood is in the calf because the muscle is bleeding from being torn and gravity makes blood go down the leg

 

 

 

as mentioned.  This is your curse now.  It will be increasingly easier to do this (and it will even hurt less at the time of the pull)... but make it very tough to participate in explosive sports, especially with limited/no stretching and/or in cold weather.  

 

I have learned that this is why you dont see a lot of baseball players, at least non-DHs into their 40s.

Edited June 15, 2020 by May Day 10

[SlimShady'sSpaceForce]

On 6/14/2020 at 8:39 AM, Ridgewaycynic2013 said:

Had mead107 started this thread, I would have been suspicious...???

*
No, I haven't.

I was thinking the same thing ? 

 

I had one maybe 45 years ago.  
 

I forgot what I did for it.   Sorry 

[Gugny]

[ExWNYer]

On 6/14/2020 at 2:11 PM, May Day 10 said:

There is no escape

 

Basically, no "explosive" sports like tennis or baseball/softball.

 

You will think you're healed, try playing, pull it again, and be back to square 1.  

 

Jogging, swimming, skating/hockey are ok.  

 

Basically it's time that's needed.  Good stretching from now on

 

 

Exactly, May Day. I have always had tight hammies despite stretching before activities. I tore my right hammy in my twenties legging out a triple during a charity softball game for muscular dystrophy. I started for home on an overthrow from the outfield and it gave out on me, then the other one popped about halfway to 2/3 down the line. I crawled across home plate. lol I didn't realize how bad the right one was until I looked back a day or so later and saw that the entire back of my leg was a purplish black and blue from where the blood had pooled. That was a scary surprise. It was at least a month before I was feeling right.

 

On 6/15/2020 at 5:59 AM, Pete said:

 

Pete...hope you are feeling better soon but, please, no beefcake shots for @Sherlock Holmes

 

?