We recommend consulting a musculoskeletal physiotherapist to ensure exercises are best suited to your recovery. If you are carrying out an exercise regime without consulting a healthcare professional, you do so at your own risk. If you have any concerns whilst completing these exercises, please contact a healthcare professional.
Early rehabilitation is individualised depending on risk factors for future injury, how the initial injury occurred and which hamstring muscle was injured. All this information will guide rehabilitation selection (18).
Rehabilitation in the early stages will consist of the self-management strategies explained above. Lower load eccentric (muscle lengthens as it is put under tension) exercises should be started as soon as possible and a gradual introduction to low-intensity jogging is also recommended. Starting eccentric exercises early allows for muscle lengthening, addressing a potential risk factor for future injury (7,18). During the early phase of rehabilitation, it is ok to exercise with some pain, ideally less than 4 out of 10 on an individual’s self-perceived pain scale.
During the advanced stages of a rehabilitation plan, you should be building towards, and achieving, near full levels of fitness. In sport, this translates to upwards of 90-95% of your maximum sprinting ability as well as the ability to quickly change direction, accelerate and decelerate.