Contributedby: Dr. Umesh Shetty, OrthopaedicSurgeon & Director, AXIS HospitalIn ourbody, the muscles present on the back of the thighs joining large thigh musclesand the bones are called Hamstrings. They are a group of three muscles that runalong the back of thigh. These are tendons and are not used much while standingor walking. However, when one undertakes flexible activities like jumping,climbing, running etc., where bending of the knee is involved, these musclescome into play. Sometimes,while stretching or aggressively pursuing jumping etc., these tendons may tear.Most often this situation leads to a tear of these tendons. This could be amild muscle pull or partial tear of the muscle or severe tear of themuscle. While most often these occur insudden burst of activity like sprinting or jumping etc., sometimes in raresituations they may occur even in slower movements during that may overstretchhamstring. Mild hamstring tears may lead topain and tenderness at the back of thigh, while partial tears are usually morepainful coupled with bruising and swelling at the back of the thigh. However,the severe hamstring tears (grade 3) are usually swollen, extremely painful andbruised. In suchcases, one should contact the GP or Orthopaedic specialist or Physiotherapist atthe earliest and depending upon the seriousness of the tears treatment can betaken. Small tears or partial tears may heal early, but severe hamstringinjuries may take few weeks to months. Initialtreatment is recommended to keep the leg still as much as possible. Application of cold packs/ice can also helpin healing. It can be done for 15-20 minutes very 2-3 hours in the day.However, direct ice should not be put on the injured portion. Ice pack shouldbe used. Leg should be kept in elevated position and adequate support through apillow can be given. Painkillers like paracetamol etc. can be used to mitigatethe suffering. One isadvised not to return to strenuous exercise too soon as it may worsen theinjury (if not healed properly) further by forming scar tissue around the tear.Once recovered, start with gentle stretches only and that too after the painhas completely subsided. Afterthis gentle exercise, cycling, walking etc. can be undertaken in a gradual andsmooth fashion. Ideally, for some time rigorous exercises and sports could beavoided so there is no relapse of the condition. If there’sbeen an injury once, it is best to consult a physiotherapist for furtherguidance and accordingly one can set the exercise routine. Ends\\