Introduction
The muscles at the back of the thigh are called the hamstring muscles. This group has three muscles: the biceps femoris, semimembranosus, and semitendinosus. These muscles are important for lower body movements like bending the knee and extending the hip and are needed for running, walking, climbing, and jumping.
What Is a Hamstring Strain and Who Gets It?
Hamstring strains are common injuries that happen to the muscles of the thigh. They can happen because of sudden movements, excessive stretching, or muscle imbalances. Hamstring strains can cause pain, swelling, and difficulty moving, greatly affecting a person's daily life and ability to engage in sports. They can occur in people of all ages and activity levels, and some factors can increase the risk. Athletes participating in sports involving running, direction changes, and jumping are more likely to get hurt. Those who lack flexibility or have had hamstring injuries are also more susceptible.
How Does Manual Therapy Help in Treating Hamstring Strain?
Manual therapy includes various techniques performed by healthcare professionals using their hands. This treatment method may include gentle movements of the body's soft tissues and joints and stretching exercises.
Before starting manual treatment for a pulled hamstring, it is important to have a full evaluation and diagnosis from a healthcare professional trained in this area. This process includes gathering complete medical information, doing a thorough examination of the body, and maybe taking an MRI to make sure of how much damage there is and to make sure there are no other underlying medical issues.
Manual therapy helps in the treatment of hamstring strain in the following ways:
-
Reduces muscle tension and tightness.
-
It helps blood flow better in the hurt area and makes healing happen faster.
-
It helps break down the scar tissue that may have firmed due to the hamstring strain.
-
Enhances muscle function and strength.
-
It helps with the pain and makes the rehabilitation process less tolerable.
-
It makes it easier to move and stretch the body.
What Are the Manual Therapy Techniques Used in the Subacute Phase of Treating Hamstring Strains?
During the early or acute stage of a hamstring strain, the main aim is to lessen pain, swelling, and muscle tightness. During the first stages, it is often suggested to rest, put on ice, apply compression, and elevate the affected area. Doctors may prescribe drugs called NSAIDs to help with pain and swelling. But, during this early stage, manual therapy is usually not used.
Manual therapy can slowly be introduced after the severe symptoms have gone away, which usually takes a few days to a week. In the subacute phase, the pain and swelling are less, but there might still be some difficulty in movements and flexibility.
Manual physiotherapy techniques that are used in the subacute phase include:
-
Soft Tissue Mobilization - Gentle ways of moving the muscles and tissues, like massage and myofascial release, can help eliminate scar tissue and stickiness that might have formed in the hurt hamstring. This helps blood move better, makes muscles more flexible, and decreases stiffness.
-
Stretching - In the subacute phase, gentle stretching exercises are gradually done. These stretches focus on the muscles in the back of the legs and the muscles around them. The goal is to make a person more flexible and reduce the risk of getting hurt again. Trained therapists can help patients do these stretches correctly and safely.
-
Joint Mobilization - Joint mobilization means moving the hip and knee joints carefully without the person actively using their muscles. This can help fix joint problems, lessen muscle tension, and increase joint movement. This can be very helpful when the joints feel stiff, and it is hard to move due to a hamstring strain.
What Are the Manual Therapy Techniques Used in the Rehabilitation Phase of a Hamstring Injury?
During hamstring strain rehabilitation, the main goal is to regain strength, stability, and the ability to perform everyday tasks. Manual therapy is still an important part of the overall treatment plan and should be performed by trained professionals.
Some techniques used in the rehabilitation of a hamstring strain include the following.
-
Active Release Technique (ART) - ART is a manual therapy approach focusing on particular soft tissue types. The therapist applies pressure to the muscles with problems while the patient moves their body differently. ART is a treatment that helps break down adhesions and scar tissue. It also helps to improve the flexibility of the tissues and promote healing.
-
Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation (PNF) Stretching - PNF stretching involves a combination of relaxation and contraction techniques to stretch the muscles effectively. This method is known for enhancing the length and functionality of the hamstring muscles.
-
Graston Technique - The Graston Technique uses special tools to gently improve the movement of muscles and other soft tissues.
-
Active Stretching - Active stretching is when therapists help patients do different exercises to stretch their hamstring muscles. These stretches make the muscles more flexible and prevent too much scar tissue from forming.
-
Deep Stripping Massage - In a deep stripping massage, a trained therapist presses their fingers, thumbs, or knuckles firmly on the muscles, going against their natural direction. Usually, pressure is put on the body with quick, repeated movements to make the tissues rub against each other. This rubbing helps to straighten collagen fibers and break up scar tissue, which helps with healing and makes the tissues more flexible.
-
Neural Mobilization and Neural Gliding Techniques - These are specialized manual therapy approaches that can be beneficial in rehabilitating hamstring strains, particularly when involving neural structures like the sciatic nerve. Neural mobilization can help alleviate nerve tension caused by the injury, reducing symptoms like pain, tingling, or numbness that may radiate down the leg. Neural gliding, also called nerve flossing, is a technique that helps keep nerves moving smoothly by creating a sliding motion along their path. This technique usually includes moving and positioning your joints and limbs in ways that stretch and loosen the nerves.
Conclusion
Manual therapy is a hands-on way to help specific muscles. It helps them be more flexible, improves blood flow, and helps the muscles heal. Also, manual therapy helps to fix imbalances and tight muscles, and it supports a complete healing process for the body. Manual therapy should only be done by qualified and skilled healthcare professionals who know about the injury and the techniques used. When used with other treatments like exercise, stretching, and strength training, manual therapy can greatly help in managing hamstring strains and improving outcomes.
