Pulled Hamstring Muscle Rehab - Your Recovery from Injury to Full Strength

Since I pulled my hamstring 6 weeks ago, I have done so much research on hamstring injuries, I feel like an expert on the injury. So I thought I should share all my time and effort with the rest of the world. Just a disclaimer: I'm not a doctor or a physical therapist, so don't take my advice too much to heart without consulting a trained professional. I of course am not trained and should not be held responsible for any re-injuries.

How Severe is Your Hamstring Pull?

There are three levels of hamstring injuries. This article is about Level 2 hamstring pulls, the kind when you feel the muscle snap or pull and have trouble walking afterwards.

If you can still walk without pain, then you have a Level 1 hamstring pull. If you have a Level 1 pull, don't be a baby! I'm just kidding of course. Level 1 pulls actually tend to be the most chronic and nagging hamstring injuries. Unfortunately, I haven't learned how to best recover from the Level 1 pull.

If you have a Level 3 hamstring pull, the muscle has detached and usually the muscle lumps in places it shouldn't. If you have a level 3 hamstring pull, you're probably going to need surgery to reattach the muscle. Don't try to rehab on your own - seek medical help.

So for those reasons, let's focus on rehab for the Level 2 hamstring pull. We should have you recovered to full strength within 4-6 weeks.

Days 1-3 of Your Hamstring Rehab

Most likely it's painful to walk, so the early recovery focuses on 3 days of rest. Your hamstring is torn and inflamed, so the first three days focus on controlling the inflammation.

The keys are rest, ice, compression, and elevation. Feel free to take ibuprofen if the pain is bad. Ibuprofen is also an anti-inflammatory, which is an added bonus for your recovery.

Rest - Try not to walk around much. I advise taking a day or two off of work, if possible.

Ice - Apply ice often to your injured hamstring. Shoot for about 15 minutes at least 4 times per day. I tried to straighten my leg while icing, which stretched let the ice work its magic to the full, stretched muscle.