I pulled my right hamstring just coming out of my drive phase in a meet this weekend in the 55m. What can I do for the best/fastest recovery possible. So far I have just iced every 2 hours. EMS has been the most benificial in the past.
I have 2 weeks to conference and 3 to nationals. Thanks in advance.
Pulsed EMS can be applied now ABOVE the injury site to promote blood flow/drainage.
First of all I am very grateful for your urgent help. I live in La Crosse, Wisconsin and run for the university. We have a fairly decent Athletic Training program but I don’t think they know enough about hamstrings. If you know of anyone that might be better in my area I would be very interested. I had it checked right after the race and there was no deficit so I know it isn’t 3rd degree. Anyway I will follow your protocol for hamstring recovery. Thanks again for your help.
What do you think about EMS, massage, heating, or icing during this time?
I cover some of this in the CF training manual. Start with 3 days total rest. (If you had just strained a few hours ago, I’d get you to run your hand over the area to see if there is/was a slight deficit- which would indicate a more serious 3rd degree strain. Such a deficit would rapidly fill with blood and wouldn’t be palpable within a few hours.) At this point, the main guideline is the severity of the pain at the time and whether bruising has appeared. Fortunately, you have two weeks to recover- the minimum time is 10days. On the fourth day (with the affected leg in a tensor), start one leg drills raising the healthy leg only. Depending on the level of recovery by day 5, you might be able to start with some easy 10 m accels. For these drills, always stand on the mark and accel only to the designated mark, to ensure that you don’t over-extend the affected muscle, with a walk back recovery. Start with 2 to 3 sets of 10 x 10 m accels, and advance the distance by 2m increments, as able. This is only a rough guideline and should be supervised by a qualified therapist. Where do you live? Maybe there’s a therapist we know near you.
Wouldnt hyperbaric chamber treatment (oxygen tent) help increase recovery? Weve had alot of rugby players injured, and daily sessions have turned there recovery periods around from 2 to 4 weeks to under 10 days. Just interested to know!
Charlie,
Could you please elaborate on your recovry drill for hammy pull as we have obviously missinterpreted your method.
When do the 2m increases in distance apply ? On the day 5 if 30reps are done and increased by 2m each rep then you would be doing around 60m reps at the end of the session for a total of around 900m, or is it 10reps with 2m increments to 30m x3 =600m for day5 then increasing from 30m by 2m on day6 etc thru to60m or what?
Sorry I have lost the plot
I’m on day 2 of the recovery cycle. I started EMS today and my hamstring feels better. What should I do about stretching? My trainers recomend that I stretch as much as possible. I have heard stretch a lot and don’t stretch at all. Could you, Charlie, or someone else give me some advice on this topic?
Be very careful about stretching. It’s best to have a top therapist take you through progressive ranges of motion. Hyperbaric chambers are great if you have access.
How often should massage/rub downs be done. i was wondering because i have pulled my hamstring and there is no dis-coloring yet? How often should it be done? Thank you
I have been following the program that you gave me. Today I went through a Seagrave warmup and did sprint drills with my good leg and it felt great.
Our trainers had me bike the last two days on a stationary bike for 15 minutes and then jog for 3 200m laps after I did the Seagrave.
The trainters keep talking about keeping hamstring strength up and about maintaining cardiovascular fitness. What do you think about these ideas?
It is feeling better so I think I am going the right direction. Again thanks very much for the help.