If therapy is done properly, I’d say 2-3 weeks. You may feel fine after 10-14 days, but I’d use another week as a buffer to ensure the hamstring is ready to handle full out efforts.
The stim can be moved down around the injury site (pads on either end of the muscle, not directly on the injury site) and the stim can pulse the muscle for circulatory enhancement and bringing down muscle tone.
I am now on Day 9 from the injury, the site feels strong,pain free and loose after aggressive rehab, I have worked up to 40m accels at 80% already, and planning to take the muscle to max gradually over the next 10 or so days at least 2-3 times, and then race a 100m.
If anyone pull their hamstrings and find this thread I just want to advise you 2 things I found to be almost magical in rehab.
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EMS on 5hz on the injured muscle, starting from stimming 1 end of the muscle at the first few days, and progressing to full muscle stimulation with 4 pads by the end of week 1
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Sleeping with a light wrap on the hamstrings after applying Tiger Balm (after the first week)
This REALLY relaxes the muscle when you wake up.
© Number1 for the above lol :), the only thing I have to be careful now is running in PB pace right away because I feel wayy to fast now after that 10 day rest. Everything is so light and running is so easy…
Will pass the 200m this saturday of course… I am going to throw a javelin instead for points.
Damn just strained my hammy monday. My therapist Said it is just a strain. I have a nice limp. I am goona start upper body lifts and do some pool exercises. I need to be back By may 22nd. What ems unit do you have. Do you have a link?
Careful of the Jav- it can be a strain on the hams too
Oh you’ll be back alright.
I have EMS 7500 2nd edition, it’s not bad !
Charlie, I wish I had the technique to strain my hamstrings throwing a javelin ! 
It’s definitely not my thing… It’s fun to watch, but the body wasn’t meant to throw that long thing like that… Everything hurts… Heh
Good choice (not racing the 200 m)!
What else have you tried running-wise? What kind of sessions, I mean? If you feel OK to up the intensity, shorten the distance at first! Charlie? Others?
Well I feel OK for 20m all outs so i’m gonna do them tomorrow with some weights, but how do I progress to 60’s and 150’s at 95% from there in the safest way possible, but yet without wasting time on trying to fix a healed muscle ? I guess the question is how do you know when it’s safe to go max speed ? Is it an athlete’s feeling ? hands on examination ? something else ?
Set a cone out at the distance you want to accelerate to and then maintain that speed to the end of the distance you want to cover- just like the intensity limits in the S-to-L graph.
That’s one of the reasons you use it. not just to know what you’re doing at that point in training but to cover the eventuality of an injury.
Thanks for sharing.
If that procedure helps an injured hamstring so much then wouldn’t it be great for general recovery after a training session too?
P.s What kind of material did you wrap the hamstring with? was it a cotton bandage or something?
Charlie thanks for the tip ! Sounds good to me.
major-
Yes I suppose they could be used for training, actually they should be used primarily after training together with a million other things that can be done to speed up recovery and prevent injuries !
I injured it because I was a little bit dumb, I ran 11.13 on saturday 2 weeks ago, which is a 0.3 PB almost from best time last season and I was loaded after a hard speed week, THEN ran 60’s the monday after, so I pulled at 40m in one of the runs and limped back home.
The muscle did not give any fatigue hints in the 30’s before the speed work though…
You live and learn… I’ll stick to ACC 48 hours after a meet from now on, speed never felt good enough to get a training effect 48 hours after a race.
I wrapped it with a regular elastic band you get at the drug store… The one used for ankle sprains etc.
Congrads on the PB!
I’m definately going to try that routine after my speed sessions and see how I feel. Should be great to penetrate through any tight spots.
im thinking here is the issue - racing whilst in Spp mode. A bit more prior planning next yr, ie, work backwards from your races and organise your Comp mode better will be in order.
Remember, up to 10days is required after a PB - and 0.3 is a massive PB - Certainly no fast 60’s 2days later. This can hard to do if your in Spp mode… Time to change your thinking now and Comp phase it. That way, we can see that sub 11sec in the next month or so.
roger that sir !
I’m lucky I learned that lesson before the season really started …
So today I ran 4x20m starts from blocks at 90%, and then 4x100 on 13.00 (with a cone at 20m)
No complains whatsoever…
Aim to go 12.00-11.80 next workout and then go full speed again ?
Have you had a Deep massage to have it checked for Any Scar tissue present?
You’ll have to pay for this though, if there is no scar tissue , you should be fine.
Actually no, but I did do 5hz EMS pulses for 1 hour each day since day 5.
Should I still go get it assessed ?
Just got back from javelin.
Did 43m on the javelin, no warmup, no run-up, 1 try.
I can be really good at this thing, so people say. At least 55m with a technical run-up !
Check for scar tissue and if any, get rid of it by friction. Others?
Deff get the hammie checked for and all scar tissue removed before even thinking of 100% efforts. We don’t want a repeat.
No problem ! Will make a few phone calls today.
I have relay state championships next sunday(1 week), what do I need to do/attempt to do other than massage this week to know it’s fine to enter ?
As charlie said, I will do more intensity limit long distance work and more starts tomorrow… If all goes well and I am on 12-12.5 s per 100, can the wednesday workout be 90% 60’s, and maybe a good 100 rep ?
Again I appreciate all the help and support with this injury… I just love this place.
I just got back from the PT (could get PT for free) and he ran all the hamstring passive and dynamic functional tests on me and concluded the muscle is in great condition.
I got no pain at all in all of the resistance tests he ran.
BUT
If I am really looking for the pain, and take my injured leg backwards (standing-like they do in BB shows to show off the hamstring) and try to squeeze the hammy really really hard, I can feel a mild discomfort on a very tiny spot on the middle of the ham… Like the one you would somtimes get if the EMS stimulation is too strong and it’s just about to cramp.
I am talking about this position (back leg squeeze)
Is this normal ?
By the way there are no knots on it, and the light massage he did showed the muscle is very relaxed.
I will add that starts (20m) and 100m reps in 12.8 seconds tempo produced no pain at all, and felt very easy.
PNF stretching (iso hold-relax) and passive stretching gives no pain at all, and the ROM is perfect, better than before the injury on both legs. If anything, the uninjured leg is tighter.
The only reason why I don’t proceed to push the intensity is because i’m scared. Which is also a problem.
This is day day 15 from the injury, by the way.
Relays on sunday.