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Discussion: Simple Hamstring Question

I am a rec player who plays on Mon and Thurs. Yesterday I pulled may hamstring. Not a big pull, but I feel it. It will not prevent me from playing on Thurs.
My simple question is, should I do nothing and just let it "heal" or should I actively run today and tomorrow to make it "stronger" or what should I do?
HJ - google RICE -
R rest
I Ice
C Compress
E Elevate

for mild strains and sprains within 24 - 48 hours
also take anti inflammatories.

I don't think you are going to make it stronger the next day or 2 as it is injured.
I think you will possibly make it worse and risk a longer layoff.

You might be well enough to play but I would play cautiously (hope you don't play outfield) and I would use a courtesy runner whenever possible if your league allows it.

and if you are in the men's 70's as your post suggests, it takes longer for our ills to heal!
Good luck with it- it's not the 7th game of the world series!
Everything K man said... FYI I had them were you can see the bleeding and I wrapped them as tight as I could without cramping and played through it... if you feel you can play on thurs, wrap as tight as you can and it will keep it from tearing more!
You will not make your hamstring stronger by running. The only way to strengthen it is to do resistance training. Once a muscle is torn it heals with scar tissue. If you do not make it stronger you will be susceptible to repeated injury. Wait until 72 hours after injury to start. The exercises you need to perform depend on what part of the hamstring is torn. Is the pull closer to you butt cheek, middle of the muscle belly, or closer to the knee? If the pull is close to your butt you need to perform hip extension exercises. The best way to do that is to use a resistance band. Go to Youtube for demonstration. If the middle and lower half of the muscle are involved you need to do leg curls. If you don't have access to a leg curl machine, get an old boot and place a weight plate on the sole and secure with duct tape. Lie face down on your bed with the knee on the bed and curl your leg up,3 sets of 10, start with 5 lb. plate and work up. Practice the motion first with no weight, and increase weight slowly!!!! Of course you need to do hamstring stretches because the muscle will heal in a shortened position if you don't.
Thanks to all. I have been stretching and walking. But will start doing resistance work when it feels a bit better.
HJ, you've already received some very good input.
If you know someone who can recommend an acupuncturist I'd give it a try. I had a pulled hamstring many years ago that showed signs of internal bleeding. I could barely walk on it.
I went to an acupuncturist who tried to do a deep tissue massage on my hamstring. I couldn't deal with that at all. He then put 8-10 needles into it and connected some of them to an electrical stim for 15 minutes or so. He then was able to perform the muscle massage (75% of normal intensity). Thereafter, we repeated this 2-3 times and I was good to go.
If hamstring injuries aren't taken seriously they become chronic... just like groins. The RICE method and light stretching are the very best things you can do for it.
Good luck...
BW
I have had a few hamstring pulls in my day. This may sound a bit crazy, but it cured my hamstring pulls immediately. I got on a stationary bike for 20 minutes on low tension. After a minute or so, I could already feel relief. Once I was done, the hamstring muscle was back where it belonged with hardly any soreness at all. It works great for me, and I was able to play without any reoccurrence of the pulled muscle. Just saying!

Andy Smith,
R & R Strokers,
60 Major
BTW, this method did not work for any other type of pulls...

Andy Smith,
R & R Strokers,
60 Major
My only advice is to never go out on a diamond unless you have compression shorts on. They have saved me many injuries. Also if you already have a pull, there are special wraps that you can get, and compression shorts help hold them in place. My experience was from an upper quad. They all hurt on the diamond.
Remember ~ There is a big difference between a strain, and a pull. You can buy a compression sleeve to fit over your quad and hamstring. Suggest using it even if your leg feels fine.
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