Hamstring strain Have you ever experience a hamstring strain? Do you know how unsafe it can be? One of the common groups of people to go through hamstring injuries, are athletes who indulge in sports that involve jumping and explosive sprinting. In addition of hamstring injuries, they can be very frustrating to deal and treat with. The hamstrings are composing of tendons that attach three large muscles, the biceps femoris, semitendinosus, and semimembranosus. These three muscles helps one knee to bend and extend to his or her hip; however, when one or more of these muscles gets stretched too far and starts to tear, it may cause plenty of pain due to the pulled hamstring. In the circumstance of having to go through a hamstring strain, his or her may experience many symptoms and signs. For example, if his or her feels a sharp pain and possibly a popping sensation at the back of his or her leg, it is probably a sign of a hamstring strain injury. Some symptoms that one may go through during this incident, is pain in the back of his or her thigh when they flex or extend their leg, tenderness, swelling, and bruising in the affected area, and lastly weakness in his or her leg that lasts for a long time after the injury. In the event of a particularly severe strain or complete tear, the victim injured may feel a gap in the torn muscle, which may cause difficulties to run, jump, stretch and possibly walk. In order to know how a hamstring strain is diagnosed it is required to have medical attention, the doctor will examine his or her leg and ask questions about how the injury happened and how much pain you have. Not only will the doctor do what it was mention but also press on the back of ones thigh to check for swelling and tenderness. This will help the doctor to figure out what grade of strain his or her has. There are three grade levels to identify the injury; grade 1, grade 2 and grade 3. First level is a mild strain and may experience a minor pain in the use of the leg and minimal swelling. Second level is a partial tear of one or more of the hamstring muscles, which may cause one to limp when you walk and feel some pain during activity. Final level is a complete tear of one or more of the hamstring muscles that can cause Walking to be very difficult and may require crutches or another walking aid. It is however, important to know that hamstring strains are common injuries but there are things you can do to prevent them. In order to reduce the risk of a hamstring one should begin warming up, doing flexible activities, and using products. The reason why warming up is important for a pulled-hamstring is because the light aerobic exercise followed by stretching and sports specific drills help the muscle increase intensity. It is also important to do flexible activities because hamstring tightness is measured by flexing the hip and he greater the flexibility of the hamstrings the less prone they are to injury. The last way to prevent hamstring strain is by using products because these are designed to increase the warmth, flexibility and blood flow of the muscles. Luckily, hamstring strains usually heal on their own but to speed the healing, one can use the RICE formula, take anti-inflammatory painkillers, and practice stretching and strengthening exercises. The RICE formula stands for rest, ice, compress and elevate; however, this should be use to a hamstring strain. In severe cases where the muscle is torn, you may need surgery and the surgeon will repair the muscles and reattach them. . The best guidance is to always listen to a doctor’s advice and don't push one or pressure to get back into sports and other activities too soon. As a final point, a torn hamstring is a sudden injury that is quite painful and quick treatment is necessary to prevent complications. When the hamstring muscle is fully torn across the muscle, the athlete will lay down to the ground in severe pain. In addition to being unable to move, there is internal bleeding at the spot of the injury. In some cases, that internal bleeding will prevent the muscle from beginning the healing process. When the muscle is torn lengthwise, blood will stream into the muscle compartment, and it will make a movement impossible.