Symptoms
- Sudden sharp pain in the back of the thigh
- Popping sensation at the time of injury
- Swelling and bruising
- Difficulty walking or straightening the knee
- Weakness in the affected leg
Common causes
- Sudden acceleration or sprinting
- Inadequate warm-up
- Muscle imbalance (quad-hamstring ratio)
- Poor flexibility
- Previous hamstring injury
- Fatigue during sport
How physiotherapy helps
Progressive rehabilitation with eccentric strengthening (Nordic hamstring exercises), gradual return to running, sport-specific agility drills, and hamstring-to-quadriceps strength ratio optimisation.
Exercises your physiotherapist may give you
- Gentle hamstring stretches (early phase)
- Isometric hamstring holds
- Nordic hamstring curls (progressive)
- Single-leg deadlifts
- Running progressions (jog to sprint)
- Sport-specific agility drills
Please note: start these exercises only after an assessment, and stop if pain increases. Your physiotherapist will choose the right exercises, number of repetitions and progression for you.
Guide written by the physiotherapists of CAPT – Centre for Advanced Physiotherapy, MVM Educational Trust. For more reading, search MedlinePlus (U.S. National Library of Medicine).