[TheBulldozer]

So yesterday, I was playing a little post Thanksgiving football and as I turned to make a play on the ball, my hamstring went on me. I decided to give it a night to see how it felt, but judging by the symptoms it's between a grade 1 and grade 2 strain.

Without blowing money on PT for someone to tell me how to get back in shape, what steps should I take over the next 48 hours, week, month, 3 months?

A bit of peripheral information: I have a feeling this was caused by incorrect squat form. A prior knee injury prevents me from going below my hip flexor when squatting. Having read up a bit on this, it seems that this injury was possibly caused by an inbalance between the strength of my quads and strength of my hamstrings as a result of this. To mitigate this, when I do fully recover, should I compensate for this by doing hamstring exclusive exercises in conjunction with my squats?

Obviously I know the basics of RICE for the first 48-72 hours before any heat, immediate focus on mobility and flexibility before strength training, but specifics would be appreciated.

[dk902]

Is it a strain or a tear?

If it was a tear, you will really know about it (a snap and a hell of a lot of pain).

I tore my hamstring once and tore both my hip flexors.

In my experience they can take quite a while to recover, as they are such a large muscle group and as such are especially important - i.e. in squats, sprinting, deadlifts, etc.

I would pay the money to see a PT, even if it's at least once. They can give you a list of exercises to do, that builds the muscle up.

Swimming is good, you get all the benefits without the strain on the joints and muscle done by concrete.

I must stress do not go back to full activity without it being completely recovered. By all means train, but don't do a 500lb deadlift. I tried going back before my hip flexors were fully recovered and I snapped them again. Patience is a virtue when it comes to torn muscles (that and active recovery).

[TheBulldozer]

Definitely not a tear. So far, all the symptoms of a grade 1/2 strain. RICE and very little activity helped a ton in the first 72 hours. No dead lifts or squats planned anytime soon.

72 hours out, it's still quite sore to the touch, but there is definitely less discomfort and the sharp pain has gone.

I fear the PT will not be as rigorous as I'd like as I do have an athletic background and build. Besides, I'd rather save myself some cash and find out what to do for free from other in shape guys.

I feel another 4-5 days of rest and slight stretching will put me on track to begin to restengthen the muscle.

[TheCaptainPower]

Sorry for the injury. I think strain or tear the only remedy is probably just rest. Hamstrings are a pain, I hurt mine once back in college. Even putting your shoes on becomes a hassle....

[Hades]

Not sure how to go about this to be honest. I would guess careful stretches, rest, and a few bodyweight squats, though let pain be your guide.

[Impavidus]

I strained my lower hamstring about 10 months ago and it still hasn't fully healed. Anyone with experience with stubborn hamstrings have any tips for recovery?

[realologist]

I had a partial tear in my hamstring in the spring. Loud "popping" noise and everything. 10 months is a little long to recover. Depending on the severity it should take 2-12 weeks to recover. I took about 10 weeks.

You should do a lot of RICE. Plus added rehab exercises. I would do exercises that directly targeted each hamstring.

I did a lot of back extensions with a hold at the top. Once the leg strengthened I started holding plates.

Single legged romanian deadlifts. Lighter weight for the injured leg and build it up slowly.

After each workout, ice then compression. Don't go too hard too fast. Like I said it took 10 weeks.