1. I I had a hamstring injury, I would not run. I would walk as an easy activity that is likely to promote blood flow, and healing....as, long as that doesn't hurt. Otherwise, find something else easy that doesn't cause pain.
2. If I thought I might have a tear, I'd see a doctor.
3. If its not a tear, I would expect it to take a minimum of a week to heal, and more likely two.

Thanks for quick reply, guess deep down know something not right and shouldn't run but what is weird reckon could run without affecting gait but guess risk making things worse, just can see weeks of it feeling not quite right and not running and losing fitness, half tempted to try a very gentle jog and see what happens and stop if any pain, seems to be a grey area between tight hamstring carry on training and mild tear and recuperation.

Many thanks

Lawrence

If I were going to attempt that, I would do so on a treadmill, so that I could literally stop the moment I felt anything...rather than "head back" from a mile down the road.

In my experience, the try it out on the road approach (which results in more pain, and a walk back while in pain) leads to an additional week or two of healing. Hence, I don't do that anymore....I've decided 2weeks today, is better than 4 weeks tomorrow. So, I take the 1-2 week hit ("now"), and find something else to do.

I had a torn hamstring a while back and wrote a post about what the doctor told me

https://forum.slowtwitch.com/...ost=7509271#p7509271

Thanks for replies, guess should rest up. is a strange one as was no pop or pain like when my calf used to go, just a feeling of tightness almost like cramp rather than pain after run and same now, and is same when sitting or walking, will try and rest with some walking and foam rolling and see how pans out, shame as for first time had been calf injury free for about a year and times were improving and now a first hamstring injury, hope not the start of a new trend !

Many thanks, great forum as always,

Lawrence

It seems you have a hard time describing how it feels, so it will be extra hard for anyone here to give you concrete advice about how you might have injured it. See a doctor if you want medical advice!

That said, for hamstring injuries the most critical thing is to not run FAST too soon after them. Don't race your parkruns for a bit. The only way to tell whether jogging feels OK is to try to do it. If you have no upcoming races, Tom's advice to take time off and be conservative is good. How long to take off? Depends on your age, how bad the injury is (see a doc), how it feels while walking or doing other low-impact activity, etc.

IF there was a major goal race you really wanted to keep up training for, I would advise you to take a few days off running, and then do a test run slowly and with a deliberately short, clipped stride where you try not to land your feet too far ahead of your center of mass -- on flat stable footing. If you run as if you were on snow or ice and needed to have your lead foot plant as close to underneath your body as possible, you will dramatically reduce the forces on your hamstrings. Also I would suggest you do a 10-20 minute non-running warmup before you start running (perhaps bike, elliptical, jumprope, brisk walking could be ok but faster walking tends to plant the lead foot well in front of your center of mass and thus can stress the hamstring considerably). This approach worked well for me when I had a hamstring tear 6 years ago. Not sure what grade it was but I felt a pop while sprinting, pulled up lame and was limping while walking. 3 days later, I was able to jog a clipped stride without pain, and a few days after that I did a good slow 15-mile long run, no pain. YMMV.

Agree that it's best to error on the side of caution in terms of going back to running. One thing I'd add is the stretching - especially dynamic stretching - can be a huge help.

I have chronically tight hamstrings, and also had a minor tear in the right hamstring a couple of years ago. It's been pretty high maintenance since then, but as long as I take care of it every day, it doesn't interfere with my running.

--I do dynamic kicks after every run: front, back, and side (3 sets of 8 with each leg). The front kicks are the ones that specifically address hamstring tightness.
--I've also found self-massage makes a huge difference. Graston treatment was helpful, but chiropractor was not covered by my insurance. A massage gun might help; I actually use a glass paperweight with a blunt point to it, which somehow digs into the muscle perfectly to loosen it up.
--You mentioned you were sitting a lot. I've definitely found that sitting for long periods of time is part of the problem. Trying to get into the habit of doing my post-run routine on travel days, even when I don't go for a run, since it helps keep my legs loose. Agree that being in the water helps too, whether or not you're doing an actual workout.
--If I want to go for a run but am not sure my legs are up to it, I'll put on my running clothes and go for a walk, with the idea that I can run a little bit here and there if I feel up to it. For me, this often this results in running the downhills, walking the flats and uphills - but go by how you feel. Good luck!

Cheers,
Ginger

Some fantastic advice in there, I like the idea of putting running gear on but going for a walk with some little bits of short stride jogging in there and may even try that along the Thames on Wednesday as kind of been on my wish list for ages and been so looking forward to it and have a rare overnight work trip, amazing forum, thanks again to everyone who has taken time to reply,

Lawrence

Lawrie - it’s clear that to heal you need to wander less and wonder more.

I can't help more than suggesting you get a massage. Might help. Probably won't hurt. Therapist might be able to feel if something is torn.

sorry you're injured. I wish you the best for healing.

---

maybe she's born with it, maybe it's chlorine
If you're injured and need some sympathy, PM me and I'm very happy to write back.
disclaimer: PhD not MD