You are running and suddenly you feel a cramp in the back of your thigh. At first, you think you can keep going but the pain worsens as you try to maintain the pace. Within moments, trying to find the source of the pain and with the muscles already cooled down, you realize that you can no longer run. The symptoms suggest that you have just suffered from hamstring syndrome.
What is hamstring syndrome?
Finnish surgeon Sakari Orava is the trusted person of numerous top-level football clubs, and stars like Pep Guardiola, David Beckham, or Marco Van Basten have passed through his hands.
Orava defined hamstring syndrome as a condition in which the pain radiates to the thigh, which is also called sciatica. This pain occurs when adhesions and fibrosis are formed around the sciatic nerve as it descends into the leg, at the level of the hamstring tendons.
Diagnosis of hamstring syndrome
The team of Dr. Ángel de la Rubia, president of the Spanish Society of Sports Podiatry, states that the diagnosis is made clinically or exploratory. To confirm that what we are suffering from is hamstring syndrome, we have to resort to diagnostic imaging techniques, such as an ultrasound or a nuclear magnetic resonance.
The main symptom is a sensation of burning, which radiates to the thigh, and it usually appears during the run.
This syndrome is especially common in males
Prevention measures
Stretching is essential to prevent this type of injury, both before and after exercise, with post-exercise stretches being the most important. In this way, we relieve the stiffness that occurs when tension accumulates in the muscles and often causes hamstring syndrome.
In addition to the lack of stretching, once the body is fully developed, the possible osteomuscular compensations established will be difficult to correct. To prevent this other cause, a personal assessment should be made from childhood and an annual review should be carried out until reaching maturity.
Treatment of the injury
As stated by Dr. David López Capapé, a specialist in orthopedic surgery and sports traumatology, treatment can be conservative, especially in partial tears. "It consists of resting for about 6 weeks, avoiding the sports gesture in which the injury occurred. Physiotherapy and subsequent strength rehabilitation should also be done."
In the case of high-level athletes, the situation may have the time factor against, as they must recover as soon as possible. That is why surgical treatment is sometimes used. "Open repair is the technique that offers the best results for returning to the previous level of exercise."
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