What causes a hamstring injury?
Most hamstring injuries happen while playing sports, such as soccer or football. A contusion may develop when the hamstring gets a hard blow. Overstretching or too much tightening of the muscle may tear or strain your hamstring. The following may put you at a higher risk for having a hamstring injury: • Muscle fatigue (tiredness). • Not warming up and stretching before doing an activity. • Past hamstring injury, especially if you go back to doing the activity before your injury is completely healed. • Poor running style, such as taking too long of a step. • Stiff, tight, and weak hamstring muscles. • Suddenly increasing the amount of your training. • Unequal strength of hamstring muscles. What are the signs and symptoms of a hamstring injury? The signs and symptoms of a hamstring injury depend on how badly the hamstring is injured. You may have pain, swelling, and bruising in the hamstring muscle area. You may feel a pop or tear and have trouble bending your knee. You may lose strength
