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questions about hamstring tendinitis
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I know there have been numerous posts about this in the past so I'll keep this very specific:

1. For those who have had success with conservative treatment (physical therapy, soft tissue work, etc.), roughly how long did your recovery process take?

2. Anyone have any experience with shockwave therapy?

Thanks!
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Re: questions about hamstring tendinitis [Dgconner154] [ In reply to ]
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I had it and went the intense but conservative treatment route. I did PT, massage, strength, ART, EMS. I did everything but shockwave and anything that involved a needle

For me it took about 3 months before I was able to cycle again, 6 months before I was able to run again. And about a year before I was able to train again and sort of "forget" about the injury. I still have some mild discomfort when running uphill (about 16 months since diagnosis) but that is actually getting better also.

It's an incredibly frustrating injury but you really have to be patient with it. Do you know if you have HHT or is the tendinitis elsewhere?
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Re: questions about hamstring tendinitis [Dgconner154] [ In reply to ]
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I think that getting two PRP injections along with physical therapy afterwards is what helped me. ART, dry needling, massage, etc. all made me feel better but did not fix me or get me to the point that I could train again. No experience with shockwave therapy. Based on my experience, I would find a very good physical therapist and try that for about 6 weeks. Also, make sure they have you do the treadmill hamstring pull - I saw a huge difference after doing the exercise just a couple of times.
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Re: questions about hamstring tendinitis [Dgconner154] [ In reply to ]
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Dgconner154 wrote:
I know there have been numerous posts about this in the past so I'll keep this very specific:

1. For those who have had success with conservative treatment (physical therapy, soft tissue work, etc.), roughly how long did your recovery process take?

2. Anyone have any experience with shockwave therapy?

Thanks!



My wife had high hamstring tendonitis and dealt with it off and on for three years. Never tried shockwave therapy but did finally get relief with a PRP injection.
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Re: questions about hamstring tendinitis [Dgconner154] [ In reply to ]
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I would also add that finding a good PT is critical. The hamstring area has LOTS of stuff that can be going on and loosely tossing hamstring tendinitis at it is a bit of a catch-all. A differential diagnosis is critical.

If I can offer one bit of advice....if you haven't stopped already - STOP STRETCHING YOUR HAMSTRINGS until you're closer to a point of healing. It feels like you should stretch it but once I got hooked up with a good PT/Doctor they basically said I was doing more damage stretching.
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Re: questions about hamstring tendinitis [Dgconner154] [ In reply to ]
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I've been doing shockwave for about 6 weeks now for mine. I can't really tell if it has helped much.

I've had some sort of tendonopathy since October 2016. I've been able to ride OK, but running hurts a lot.
The side that it is on, the physio, and my sports doc can both see that I have atrophy in the glute muscles on that side too, visually easy to see.
I also have piriformis like pain, which they both believe isn't piriformis syndrome, but aggravation of a lot of the connection points on the great trochanter (sp?), so all the glute muscles coning around the side. And my adducters on that side are weaker too.

Soooo....we aren't sure what caused all of it, but for now we are working to strengthen everything, and doing shockwave on hip and hamstring, and they are looking at my run gate, trying to strengthen the ankle on that side. One well respected physio in my area believes it all stems from the foot, I dunno....
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Re: questions about hamstring tendinitis [Geek_fit] [ In reply to ]
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How did you go about finding your PT? I went to a place I've been before and generally been happy with, but I feel like they're flying a little blind on this issue. Treatment thus far has been fairly conventional, with strengthening of glutes and hips, soft tissue work, and stretching (I will definitely try eliminating the static stretching), but in 7 weeks of treatment and 8+ weeks with no running I've noticed virtually no net improvement. There are days when it feels better and other days when it feels worse than when I started.

I also have an FAI impingement and torn labrum on the same side, and I assume the hamstring issue developed in response to some sort of compensation for that. PT has actually improved my hip significantly, and I rarely feel much discomfort in the hip joint.

I haven't been given any diagnosis more specific than hamstring tendinitis.
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Re: questions about hamstring tendinitis [Dgconner154] [ In reply to ]
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I was honestly pretty lucky. My town had one of the premier hip/core PTs in the country. She did a fantastic job of going through and making sure it actually was HHT. Honestly, you just need to find someone who is as proactive as you are and that you trust isn't just putting you through the motions

My situation was similar. I had some damage to my hip after being hit by a car that I continued to train through. The end result was that I compensated so much I gave myself High hamstring tendinitis.

This didn't come out until after I was well on the mend and had a solid treatment plan. But this protocol was basically what I did in addition to strength training, ART, Massage, and Chiro.

http://www.running-physio.com/phtvids/

Happy to say I get to go race this weekend after being out all of last season with this nonsense. I know how frustrating it can be as it just heals so slowly. Just be patient and do what you can. You'll have flare-ups along the healing path but just take them in stride.


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Re: questions about hamstring tendinitis [Dgconner154] [ In reply to ]
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I live in a big enough city that there are some minor league sports teams. I used the physical therapists that works with those teams since they obviously are well-respected and deal with high-level athletes all the time. If that's an option for you, I would try to figure out who those therapists are. If you aren't near a city with professional athletes, I would ask around in the local running/cycling/swimming clubs to find out who other athletes recommend.
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Re: questions about hamstring tendinitis [Dgconner154] [ In reply to ]
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Dgconner154 wrote:
I know there have been numerous posts about this in the past so I'll keep this very specific:

1. For those who have had success with conservative treatment (physical therapy, soft tissue work, etc.), roughly how long did your recovery process take?

2. Anyone have any experience with shockwave therapy?

Thanks!

Mine started in April of last year and finally cleared up April of this year. I still feel "twinges" every now and then, but not the kind of stiffness and pain I was feeling before. Mine was HHT of my left leg. After months of physical therapy (mostly deep tissue massage and MF release work) with not much lasting relief, I started strengthening the quads in my left leg (testing showed a 50% decrease compared to my right leg) and I started taking four Type 1, 2, & 3 collagen tablets a day (started this back in Feb.). Within a month, I was MUCH better and I'm 99% better now. I'm not sure if it was just the strengthening of the quads or the combo with the collagen. I'm just happy it's over (knock on wood), so I'm maintaining what finally worked for me.

I was going to look into other treatments if this didn't work, but thankfully it did.
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Re: questions about hamstring tendinitis [Geek_fit] [ In reply to ]
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No shock wave, but I'm going on year number 3 with the injury, I had a Dr. suggest a needling procudre to speed up recovery in March of this year.....DONT DO THIS!!! I was told that it would speed up recover and it has set me back 6 months. I'm 4 months into their rehab protocol, and I feel like it hurts worse now. I finally got an MRI last fall which showed a mild case of HHT, I'm guessing it's more severe now. All of my pain is in the belly of the hamstring, extremely frustrating. Anyone else have the majority of their pain in the belly of the hamstring??

Lots of people have found a way out, I can't seem to find that path. It honestly felt the best after the initial injury when I was still training 15hr/wk. I truly believe that the tendons needs to be worked to recover.
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Re: questions about hamstring tendinitis [M&M Tri] [ In reply to ]
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Have your physios had you try nordic (eccentric) hamstring exercises?
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Re: questions about hamstring tendinitis [Dgconner154] [ In reply to ]
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Perhaps I missed it, but do you have high hamstring tendonitis or a lower tendonitis down by your knee (medial or lateral)?

Dale
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Re: questions about hamstring tendinitis [SBRcoffee] [ In reply to ]
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Thanks for the reply, I've got high hamstring tendonitis, the weird thing is I get the majority of my pain in the belly and lower hamstring.

Yes, I started with the Nordics about 3 weeks ago, he has me doing those 2x weekly and hamstring curls 3x weekly. Any suggestions?
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Re: questions about hamstring tendinitis [DaleD] [ In reply to ]
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High hamstring tendonitis, but all my pain is mid to lower hamstring, I never have pain from sitting like a lot of other people.
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Re: questions about hamstring tendinitis [DaleD] [ In reply to ]
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DaleD wrote:
Perhaps I missed it, but do you have high hamstring tendonitis or a lower tendonitis down by your knee (medial or lateral)?

Dale

High. I feel it mostly at the insertion where the hamstring tendons connect to the pelvis, sometimes even higher at the ischial tuberosity and lower back.
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Re: questions about hamstring tendinitis [M&M Tri] [ In reply to ]
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I had high hamstring tendonitis when I was training for The Boston Marathon. I was sidelined for about three weeks before I return to running. Within 3 months of the original injury, I was back running 60-80 miles a week at my regular paces.

I received one steroid injection and had PT twice a week. PT included dry needling, strength training, stretching and lots of band work. On non-pt days, I was doing rehab at home and the gym (pt homework).

Dale
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Re: questions about hamstring tendinitis [Dgconner154] [ In reply to ]
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I suggest getting an MRI. You may have a tear at the attachment or other. I had pain up around the left hip/side as well (it felt like a side pull or strain around there), with pain radiating down the hammy. Had a chiropractor who runs a sport rehab facility I worked with this last year...totally had me on strengthening & sprints (high hammy activity), when I finally decided it was going nowhere, to have an MRI. It showed a tear, the *new* doc couldn't believe the rehab protocol I was on by the other guy. Live & learn--he wasn't a real MD, just a chiropractor running a biz as a sports specialist. Going to stick to some real sports docs from now on. So go get an MRI on that. You may need PRP if that's the case. Good luck.
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Re: questions about hamstring tendinitis [Dgconner154] [ In reply to ]
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I went to very well known sports medicine doctor, for what it is worth. My injection was US guided.
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Re: questions about hamstring tendinitis [Rocky M] [ In reply to ]
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#2 on the MRI.

I have been struggling with HHT since it was diagnosed a year ago, and it was clearly an issue for a long time before that (with referred pain in calf and lower back). MRI just about picked it up - spotted by a specialist, then I did lots of physio, then had 2 x PRP injections over Christmas 2016, both of which helped, but only limited improvements.

Had surgical intervention back in April - even though the problem was barely visible on the MRI, my tendon was "60% detached". Referred pain likely due to proximity of sciatic nerve.

Not quite 3 months later, and I'm still recovering, still no bike or run, but I have faith...

Go see someone experienced with this condition, and make sure you get a diagnosis (with MRI if poss?) - I struggled with it (in denial?) for a few (6+) months before I went to a specialist. Should've gone to them first.

And good luck with it...
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Re: questions about hamstring tendinitis [M&M Tri] [ In reply to ]
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Imaging is not likely to show much. Find someone who can clinically and reliably rule out referred lower back pain first.
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