Hamstring Strain: Causes, Treatment & Recovery

Reviewed by the Physiotherapy Team at Waterloo Sports Medicine Centre  

A hamstring strain is a common sports injury involving a stretch or tear of one or more of the muscles at the back of the thigh. Hamstring injuries are particularly common in sports that involve sprinting, jumping, sudden acceleration, or rapid changes in direction, such as soccer, basketball, track and field, and hockey. 

What Is a Hamstring Strain? 

The hamstring muscle group consists of three major muscles that run along the back of the thigh. A hamstring strain occurs when the muscle is exposed to more force than it can tolerate, resulting in damage to the muscle fibers. Strains can range from a mild overstretch to a partial or complete tear. 

Common symptoms: 

• Sudden pain or a pulling sensation in the back of the thigh 

• Tenderness or swelling 

• Bruising in some cases 

• Pain when walking, running, stretching, or contracting the hamstring 

• Weakness or difficulty generating force through the affected leg 

What Causes a Hamstring Strain? 

Hamstring strains often occur during high-speed running when the hamstrings are working to control the leg while lengthening under load. They can also occur during sudden acceleration, deceleration, jumping, or movements that require rapid changes in direction. 

Risk factors: 

• Previous hamstring injury 

• Inadequate strength or conditioning 

• Exposure to high-speed running

• Insufficient preparation for the demands of a particular sport 

How Is a Hamstring Strain Treated? 

Physiotherapy plays an important role in hamstring strain recovery. Treatment is tailored to the location and severity of the injury, your symptoms, your activity level, and the physical demands of your sport or daily activities. 

Progressive strengthening: Exercises are gradually introduced to restore hamstring strength and the ability to tolerate increasing loads. This may include bridging exercises, resisted knee flexion, hip extension exercises, and progressively heavier or faster hamstring exercises. 

Running and movement progression: For active individuals and athletes, rehabilitation may progress from walking and low-intensity activity toward jogging, faster running, acceleration, and eventually sprinting.  

Flexibility and mobility exercises: Appropriate mobility work may be incorporated as symptoms improve. However, rehabilitation is not simply about "stretching out" the injured muscle. Restoring the hamstring's ability to produce and tolerate force is a key component of recovery. 

Sport-specific rehabilitation: Later-stage rehabilitation may include jumping, cutting, sprinting, or other movements that replicate the demands of your sport. Your physiotherapist can assess strength, movement, symptoms, and functional capacity to help determine when it is appropriate to return. 

Looking for hamstring strain treatment in Waterloo or Kitchener-Waterloo? At Waterloo Sports Medicine Centre, our physiotherapists can help you recover from a hamstring injury, rebuild strength, safely progress back to running and sport, and reduce your risk of future injury!