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Sun Jun 03, 2007 10:40 am

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Senior Masters Athlete
Joined: Sun Jun 03, 2007 9:34 am
Posts: 18

All,

I am going through an injury that has me a bit baffled and am hoping for some insight. I ran some 40 yd sprints on a baseball field, due to lack of a track when I was visiting out-of-state. Felt great before, during, and immediately after this workout. When I got home I started stretching (am on a stretching program that has me more flexible) and felt very tight in the right upper hamstring, just below the buttock. It left me unable to raise my leg very high. I iced it for a few days and rested, felt much better and then started running (easy 300's) and it came back, although not as bad. I have continued to do light workouts (easy 100's) and it bothers me a bit that day and the next day. Although it seems to be in the hamstring area, it seems to be not typical of a hamstring injury that occurs when running. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Mike



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Sun Jun 03, 2007 5:08 pm

 
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Master Masters Athlete
Joined: Tue Mar 27, 2007 10:57 am
Posts: 121
Location: Huntsville, AL

I have got the same injury that has been bothering me for the last month. I will get better and then I will have a few good days then run hard then it returns and I am down again. I have not figured it out myself. I have been talking with PT but we have not come up with the right answer yet.

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Sun Jun 03, 2007 6:13 pm

 
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Joined: Tue Oct 10, 2006 4:57 pm
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Location: Asheville, NC

I had the same problem, and did all the standard things---ice, stretching, rest when needed, etc. It finally went away after a year, but apparently not because of anything I did or didn't do. I wish I could offer you a magic solution, but you may just have to be patient.



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Sun Jun 03, 2007 6:21 pm

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Senior Masters Athlete
Joined: Sun Jun 03, 2007 9:34 am
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Nice to hear from you.
Sorry to hear someone else has this. It has been 10 days now and I have done three fairly easy workouts and it is vastly improved since I first did it, rested and iced it, so I am going to try and rest and ice, while doing some upper body weights, medicine ball and stretching. Running will be easy if done at all for a week. Then, try running again. Meanwhile it looks like I will miss some great meets in the middle of June. Still, I will try and make a positive out of it as I have not done any upper body exercise for months. too busy running and stretching.

Mike



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Mon Jun 04, 2007 6:47 am

 
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Senior Masters Athlete
Joined: Sun Oct 08, 2006 6:37 am
Posts: 21
Location: Fanwood, NJ

i haven't seen any of you mention deep tissue massage. You may need to stimulate some blood flow to that area to promote further healing.
a well trained sports massage therapist can work the glute-ham connection and help get you back in the game much quicker.

Good Luck,

Charlie Roll, LMT
M60 shot put



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Mon Jun 04, 2007 10:35 am

 
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Joined: Tue Mar 27, 2007 10:57 am
Posts: 121
Location: Huntsville, AL

Thats a good call Mike. I actually tried that and it did help out. The other thing that I found by going to the PT is that a little heat and electric stim helps get things back in order also.

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Last edited by tphit on Sun Jun 10, 2007 5:57 am, edited 1 time in total.


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Mon Jun 04, 2007 11:34 am

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Joined: Thu Sep 07, 2006 1:36 pm
Posts: 102
Location: Folsom, CA

If you have access to a pool, swimming laps is excellent for maintaining your base without stressing the hamstring. I also like it for a break from running when the weather gets beastly hot. I use a kickboard and some old swim fins from which I've cut off about 1/3 to 1/2 of the length. Avoid too much bend in your knee. 30 to 45 minutes of this will get your heart pumping and is easy on your hams and joints.



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Wed Jun 06, 2007 2:34 pm

 
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Joined: Tue Sep 12, 2006 8:39 am
Posts: 74
Location: Kent, England

So you'll miss some meets this summer? There's always next year!

I had a hamstring tear a month back. Kidded myself it was cramp and finished the 200, when I ought to have stopped.

Charlie is so right about massage. This stuff will be routine to a good therapist, so take their advice. Agree an icing regime with your therapist, leading eventually to a hot/cold pack regime to help get rid of bruising etc.

Do all the things you can do to work around the injury, without continuing the imbalanced development of quads and glutes that probably contributed to the problem in the first place. I found I could get great aerobic work on a static bike without hurting my hamstring, for example. Stretch when it's on the mend, and when it hurts, stop!

Truly believe that if you try to get back into things too soon, it'll go again. Because it will. I'd not have taken my modest strain seriously had I not had extensive bruising from it (it was like my body needed to prove to me it wasn't just cramp!), but it convinced me that I should give it a month of remedial work before testing it out.

Glad I did, too. I ran a PR on my first outing post-injury - not because of the injury, but because I took it seriously.

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Tom
Maidstone,
Kent,
England



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Sat Jun 09, 2007 12:22 pm

 
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Joined: Tue Oct 03, 2006 1:47 pm
Posts: 71
Location: sarasota, florida

Hi all..I too have had trouble with the ham and deep glute pain and I agree that massage therapy can work wonders! I also had several ultrasound treatments which also helped. I iced every am and pm also. This combined with taking a break from hard workouts finally allowed me to heal but then I had hernia surgery this year after Boston! Today I ran my first hurdle race since the surgery which was seven weeks ago. I have found that a slow and easy approach to injury rehab works best for me. I did walking for two weeks, eliptical for two weeks, and then started easy track work and slowly got back to the hurdles last week. I always rest a day after hard workouts as my recovery time is not what it used to be. I think I stayed injured in my first year running masters because I did not take enough time between speed and hurdle workouts. My advice is "take it slow and easy" at your own pace and listen to your body's feedback.

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Jimmy Broun



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Tue Jun 12, 2007 5:40 pm

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Senior Masters Athlete
Joined: Sun Jun 03, 2007 9:34 am
Posts: 18

Thanks for all the advice. I am healing and taking it easy, running easy workouts. Will get some advice from my physical therapist.

mike



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Fri Aug 10, 2007 1:48 pm

 
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Senior Masters Athlete
Joined: Sun Jun 03, 2007 9:34 am
Posts: 18

all,

Thanks again for the advice on my strained hamstring. Although my training has been going well (Clyde Hart running slow to run fast) I decided to see about my hamstring which was bothering me slightly. My physical therapist has me coming in for ultrasound treatment and deep tissue massage. She advises not to run for two weeks that way i will heal faster. This website is great, otherwise I may not have gone to the PT.

mike



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Sun Aug 12, 2007 8:10 am

 
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Master Masters Athlete
Joined: Tue Mar 27, 2007 10:57 am
Posts: 121
Location: Huntsville, AL

I agree . So many of us have the same issues it is nice to have a place to share experiences.

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The Coach!



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Fri Sep 07, 2007 3:56 am

 
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Master Masters Athlete
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Joined: Sat Aug 26, 2006 2:06 pm
Posts: 192
Location: San Diego

Mike, as part of your rehab and training routine, don't forget backward walks or jogging.

I always end my sprint workouts with at least a quarter-mile backward walk. This seems to provide insurance against hamstring pulls.

Why? Backward walks help the quads, which have to be strong when working with the hammies. A lack of balance between quadricep and hamsting strength has been known to lead to hammie pulls.

Check these out:

http://sportsmedicine.about.com/cs/inju ... 00901a.htm
http://www.bodyresults.com/E2BackwardsWalking.asp

You can also Google "retro-running"

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Ken Stone
http://www.masterstrack.com



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Thu Sep 13, 2007 3:42 pm

 
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Senior Masters Athlete
Joined: Sun Jun 03, 2007 9:34 am
Posts: 18

thanks for the advice, Ken. I tried the walking backwards after a tough workout and did about 250 meters and felt it in the legs. Next track workout will try to do a little bit more. Hamstring feels wonderful. Great advice from all the responders.



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Tue Jan 01, 2008 5:02 am


Here is my exercise for hamstring injury. I think it helps sciatica too.

1. Sit on the floor, legs outstretched forwards.

2. We assume the left leg hamstring is the problem. So bring your right leg over your left leg, pulling up your right knee close to the chest and ensure the right heel is down close to the left thigh.

3. Extend your arms immediately behind you close to your torso, with the back of the hands on the floor, fingers extended away from your back.

4. Pressing on the back of your hands, and keeping your torso upright, slowly lean forwards as far as you can. If the hamstring area "hurts" - and it is not unpleasant - you are beneficially stretching your shortened/injured hamstring.

Lean forwards about ten times a session. You can turn the left foot to the left, centre, and right to vary the stretch on the muscle but the leaning forwards is the main thing. Try and do a couple of sessions a day.



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