Can Sports Massage Help a Hamstring Injury?

November 5, 2021

There are three muscles that make up the hamstring: the biceps femoris, the semitendinosus and the semimembranosus. Sitting actually stretches this muscle group, though too much inactivity can be hard on these muscles. All three muscles attach to the sitting bone.

A hamstring injury can be felt anywhere from the buttock to the knee.

Common Hamstring Injury Risks

The hamstring runs down the back of the thigh. When contracted, it bends the knee and lifts the foot behind the body. Hamstring injuries are common in runners, particularly runners that need to move from a run to a sprint quickly.
Professional

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players are at even greater risk. Not only can they suffer a hamstring injury from a rapid start, a burst of speed or a hard push-off, but they can also suffer a hamstring contusion.

When the hamstring is tightly contracted, a strike or a hard hit to this fully flexed muscle can create a lot of damage in a single blow. If your hamstring injury comes with a lot of bruising, whether you took a hard hit or just sprouted a bruise, it\’s a good idea to avoid massage, rub-downs, or heat.

Treating the Hamstring Damage: Early Stages

The first step is to get off the field, the track or wherever you work working out when the injury was first felt. Because the first jolt of a hamstring injury can feel like a pinch or a burn, getting off the leg is critical to make sure that you can rest the muscle.

Once you\’re off the leg, apply cold or ice to the injury. To avoid making an injury worse, the most effective position is lie face down and ice the back of the thigh without putting pressure on a lumpy ice pack. Put down a cloth barrier between the ice pack or bag so you don\’t risk frostbite.

A simple ice pack can be made from frozen peas or frozen corn. As time goes by, you may want more pressure or weight on the ice pack. An ankle or wrist weight can gently increase the pressure without causing further damage. Continue to use a timer to avoid icing more than 20 minutes, 2 to 3 times each day. Do not fall asleep while wearing an ice pack!

Compression may be useful if there\’s a lot of swelling. Do not wrap an ice pack under a compression bandage. If you don\’t have help to review the damage and apply the compression wrap, consider talking to your physician about a therapeutic Velcro wrap. Avoid using compression products that cover the lower half of your torso if standing is painful. Getting in and out of these garments can be more pain than they\’re worth.

Finally, elevate the injured leg to try to avoid swelling. This may mean laying flat with your knee elevated. If this isn\’t possible, avoid standing when possible and get your feet up when you\’re sitting.

Massage Methods for Damaged Hamstring

In the early stages after your injury, keep an eye on the skin. If your skin is not discoloured, gentle massage may be helpful. Avoid letting the muscle get too warm, such as in a hot tub or under a heating pad. Heat may feel better than ice, but it will ultimately increase your inflammation.

A personal trainer or physical therapist may be able to help determine the degree of strain. The amount of pain you felt at the original injury will be a good indication of the severity of your injury. There are three different grades of hamstring injury.

Grade 1 : is the mildest injury. It may hurt to run, but you can probably walk without a lot of pain. There is probably no bleeding or bruising at the site of the injury. The leg may feel weaker, but bending the foot up against resistance will be only slightly painful. Massage of this level of injury can likely help you manage pain and heal up more quickly. Let your massage therapist know if you have any pain during palpation of the injury site.
Massage of this sore muscle will loosen up the shocked area of the muscle that has seized in response to the injury. If this massage hurts at the start, let your massage professional know so they can work away from the injury site.
Grade 2 : likely includes some muscle tearing. You will limp. There may be bruising and swelling, and touching the injury site will be very painful. Bending against resistance will cause both pain and weakness. If you notice bruising at the site of your injury, you need to seek medical attention.
Once you are past the worst tearing damage, massage of the tender muscle tissue around the injury can make a huge difference. Again, monitor your pain level and let your massage therapist know when they\’re getting to a hot zone.
Grade 3 : can be anything from a serious to a complete tear. There may also be ligamental or tendon damage. You will likely not be able to walk on this and you may need surgery to reattach. This injury will swell up a great deal and the bruising will be extreme. Again, if you think you have a Grade 2 or 3 injury, you need to talk to your doctor.
However, post-surgical massage can be very helpful to help cut down on the severity of tight tissue at the incision site. Once your incision has healed completely, consider connecting with a massage professional to help you reduce tightness in the scar and remove excess swelling that has consolidated at the injury and the surgical site.

When to Avoid Massage

Your massage therapist will need to get a good look at the site of the injury so they can determine the amount of pressure to apply. In the early stages of a hamstring injury, there may be swelling, bleeding at the muscle injury and fresh bleeding under the skin. Massage at this point will not be helpful. The damage may actually take longer to heal if pressure is applied too early.

Benefits of Massage Elsewhere

Just because you can\’t get your hamstring massaged yet doesn\’t mean you shouldn\’t get a massage for another part of the body. Limping is hard on your opposite foot, leg, hip and your entire spine. Walking on crutches is hard on your upper body, your hands and your arms.

Getting your hands massaged can lessen the tension of carrying the weight of your injured leg on your hands and arms. Consider also getting your upper back and chest worked on if you are on crutches for an extended period of time.

If you have to undergo surgery, getting your spine from your skull to your tailbone can lower your stress and help you recover from the surgical \”laceration\”, which your body will treat as an injury. Massage can help you relax and remove excess lymph fluid build-up after both the injury and the incision.

A sports massage therapist can apply a great deal of pressure to a sore muscle to release inflammation and tension. If you\’re already hurt, it\’s critical that you let your massage therapist know about the date, severity and any remaining pain of your injury before they put their hands on you. A massage therapist can develop a good idea of how much pain you\’re in and what that pain is doing to the alignment of the rest of your body.