Chronic hamstring tenderness

Hello

I have had hamstring tenderness since 2011(GST since 2014). I have never been able to get rid of it since.  I'm 41, dance, surf, do GST foundation, handstand and stretch.   

I ignored it for a long time because it never seriously impacted any movements.  But recently, I feel like it has been getting worse so I thought I'd see if anyone's had similar experience.

Details:

- tenderness is mainly proximal, but on certain days the whole length of the hamstring muscles can be very tender.

- in both legs, but right is generally worse

- start to feel tender after walking 30 mins depending on speed/terrain

- running results in a lot of tenderness following day

-GST exercises that aggravate it include Jefferson curls, arch ups, stiff legged windmills, various elements of both splits series

- recently started doing eccentric phase harop curls(still experimenting) but no improvement yet

I realise this could be a case of lifelong damage control from now on.   Any advice would be greatly appreciated.  

Probably checking with a great sport physio would be the best thing for you to do, so he/she can watch your movement and figure out what is happening… until then, how are your glutes? Maybe they are not strong enough and/or not firing properly during the walks and runs and other movements and thus your hamstrings get constantly overused and sore? How you are your hip flexors? Maybe they are too tight, pulling on your pelvis, creating a constant anterior pelvic tilt and thus your hamstrings are constantly (over)stretched? Also, your hamstrings could be really really weak… many things that could be, so the physio would be the best thing to do.

Thanks Suzanna,  Good to be aware of all those possible causes.  Will consider seeing another physio!

12 hours ago, Suzanna McGee said:

Probably checking with a great sport physio would be the best thing for you to do

I completely agree. Be sensitive to it for now while you try to get a diagnosis and solution from a sports physio or other medical professional.

Absolutely agree as well Mathew. With these kinds of long term nagging injuries, you also definitely need to train around the injury i.e. not doing any kind of movement which irritates it. This will in many ways force you to be creative in ways in dance/surfing/GST that you never could have until it recovers. You must also be pretty darn consistent with your physical preparation before working out, surfing or dancing.

On 3/1/2017 at 5:06 AM, Matthew Berghella said:

Hello

I have had hamstring tenderness since 2011(GST since 2014). I have never been able to get rid of it since.  I'm 41, dance, surf, do GST foundation, handstand and stretch.   

I ignored it for a long time because it never seriously impacted any movements.  But recently, I feel like it has been getting worse so I thought I'd see if anyone's had similar experience.

Details:

- tenderness is mainly proximal, but on certain days the whole length of the hamstring muscles can be very tender.

- in both legs, but right is generally worse

- start to feel tender after walking 30 mins depending on speed/terrain

- running results in a lot of tenderness following day

-GST exercises that aggravate it include Jefferson curls, arch ups, stiff legged windmills, various elements of both splits series

- recently started doing eccentric phase harop curls(still experimenting) but no improvement yet

 

I realise this could be a case of lifelong damage control from now on.   Any advice would be greatly appreciated.  

 

 

 

Other than checking in with a physiotherapist these are some things that are very likely to alleviate some of the pain:

- Very gentle relaxation stretches might help your hamstrings relax more. Gentle as in no jefferson curls, but try the jefferson curl end position with bent knees and fingertips resting on the floor. Perform single leg extensions while keeping all other joints locked and stomach glued to your quads. If these somehow feels aggravating forget about them until having checked with a pt.

- Since you are a dancer you might already be very flexible in your hamstrings, but at the same time they can be very weak. If that is the case the muscles on the front side of the leg might be very strong, but tight and tense, and could cause the hamstrings and your glutes to deactivate. The cause of action would be to gently reactivity hamstrings and glutes to balance out any asymmetry (it that is the case). Glute bridges and regular squats could be help here. Really focus on feeling activation in the back legs and glutes.

- Tenderness in muscles sometimes arise due to social and psychological factors. The tenderness could be a way for your subconscious and your body to alert you of something not being right; a symptom to the real cause of your problems. The stress factors here could be overtraining, your work boss being an idiot, family issues, friends expecting something from you... The list is long. However, it is worth considering. I have heard of quite of few people including an elite athlete that had unbearable tenderness problems to the point of muscle collapse, especially prior to training. I believe that his condition has improved after he found out that his issues were also due to himself and the people surrounding him having unrealistic expectations to his recovery from an older injury.

- Your specific issue could be caused by a myriad of different things and many factors might play a role. Whatever you are told and whatever works for you - do not fall to prey of either a "fear-avoidance pattern" or "train-through-pain" pattern where you either avoid perceived harmful activity completely or you throw yourself at it full speed. Strike a balance. Do what feels comfortable and do not challenge your tenderness too much. Full recovery includes being able to change your situation so that your tenderness goes away, but it also includes changing your mind's perception about the situation so that you are not fearful or anxious about certain movements.

Best of luck in your recovery, and let us know how things are going.