I got a first degree hamstring pull the other day.
I suspect that my humble savings will eventually run out for therapy purposes (if I continue getting injured at this rate), so feel free to talk about ways to fix these things at least faster, without professional help, for us non-professional athletes.
I am sure many will find it helpful
So for a hamstring pull:
I suppose the first thing to do is RICE.
Umm… then what? :o
I also have a list of anti-inflammatory foods that a friend suggested:
Pineapple (has proteolytic enzyme Bromelaine)
Curry powder/turmeric
Garlic
Cocoa (yay)
Tea
Blueberries (:D)
(Proteolytic enzymes reduces inflammation by neutralizing the biochemicals of inflammation (i.e., bradykinins and pro-inflammatory eicosanoids) to levels at which the synthesis, repair and regeneration of injured tissues can take place. In one study, football players who suffered from ankle injuries found that proteolytic enzyme supplements accelerated healing and got the players back on the field 50 percent faster than athletes who received placebo tablets).
I also have some Arnica Gel to enhance micro-circulation.
typically, you can start back with drills with one leg raised 9injured leg down- so A skip would have the opposite knee coming up. After a day or two you can do two legged drills with low knees- I cover much of this in the CFTS manual- it lays out a ten day rehab.
I think you have it don’t you?
BTW, hearing you getting out your tempera and oils makes me think of my father. I’m hoping to post some of his paintings. I’m hopeless at computers as you can tell but someone here may be able to make a file for me to put up. he was a painter and sculptor.
Would the plastic bag heat rub apercreme trick work well for muscle pulls? and if so, and what timeline guidelines (within first few days, after 5 days etc)?
I actually tore my left hamstring yesterday, grade 1 also. I spoke to three different physiotherapists yesterday who told me that recent research (which I have yet to look into myself) has indicated that anti-inflams may not be a good idea in the first 48 hours.
Here is the response from one:
“Anti inflams are controversial. I think the general consensus now is that they shouldn’t be used in the first 48 hours if at all. Reasoning that inflammation is required for the healing process. Personal opinion would be that I’ve never seen a patient where too little inflammation/swelling was a problem, or using anti-inflams that would completely stop the inflammatory process.”
Not sure about the reasoning here. I understood that the fear related to many anti-inflam agents was that they could cause additional bleeding into the injury site but that inflammation and therefore swelling was NOT something you wanted!
Ah, thank you. And that hamstring thread is very useful !! (haven’t read it all yet…)
Charlie I already started the one legged drills today. It pulled a little doing them, not sure if that is a good thing. Not too much though.
I also went on a long 1hr+ walk, it feels very tight and a bit sore (especially if I press on it), but moving it should be good.
And I also ate 2 cans of pineapple and a teaspoon of curry (mixed it with water… yikes…). Miraculously, then I tried one legged drills again in my room, and it didn’t pull any more.
Placebo effect? =)
On a funny note, the injured swollen hammie is the the size I want it, compared to the healthy one :o
Charlie show us some dad-paintings… please. (somebody help the man =) )
I actually have something for you… I hope to see you in person soon, at least for a short while.
I hope I was clear that the sore leg stays down! Anyway, I hope to get some help in the next couple of days. I just got back the transcrip of tapes taken from a few weeks to a couple of days before his death in Sept 1987. They’re pretty interesting.
Thanks! I am asking not (only) because of Stef’s post, but because I’ve heard quite a few people using long runs and/or drills (e.g., 200-300s) during this period. I guess, this is because of the pace maintained (i.e., slow), but the same thing can more effectively be done, of course, in the way you describe above…
The thought process here is that in order to recover from an injury of any type, where the muscle fibres have been torn (as in a grade 1 hamstring tear), you want the various white blood cells to get to the tear site, in order to facilitate healing. In order for the WBC to get to the site, there has to be some sort of imflammation there. Anti-inflams would stop / reduce this.
However, my thoughts are that non-prescription anti-inflams are not going to be strong enough to sufficiently reduce swelling so as to stop the above process. In my experience of hamstring pulls, the best time for anti-inflams is directly after training/rehab to prevent soreness which might appear afterwards. Also, try tiger balm in future (I imagine your hamstring is well healed by now!) on any pulls when you start training - its a life saver.
Thank you, I hope I don’t need your advice in the future!
I imagine it’s well healed, I’ve had no problems so far, but I haven’t run in full intensity quite yet just to make sure.
Well the first series of runs done are over a 10m controlled distance (you can look up the protocol for setting up the cones in the forum reviews). The initial volume is 10 x (10 x 10m) with the runs back and forth and the sets separated by 2 to 3 min. Believe me! This can get tiring!
Further to my earlier comment, inflammation is not universal. It starts at the exact injury site and moves outwards.
Reducing the inflammation does not eliminate it, but rather restricts it closer to the injury site and allows the desired blood products to reach that area more easily and hastens the removal of waste products.
