Strained Hamstring

**NasalInfection** · Posted On: 9/26/2006 3:34pm

Last Thursday I strained my hamstring doing a sprint after boxing (didn't even finish the first one). I have been nursing it but it still hurts when I sit on a hardwood chair and makes it awkward to walk.

Will I be screwing it up further if I go to boxing and aikido (seperate classes) or should I lay off of it for even longer? If so, when is it ok to start practicing but taking it easy (no conditioning but pad and bag work).

**Teh El Macho** · Posted On: 9/26/2006 4:33pm

Originally Posted by NasalInfection

Last Thursday I strained my hamstring doing a sprint after boxing (didn't even finish the first one). I have been nursing it but it still hurts when I sit on a hardwood chair and makes it awkward to walk.

Will I be screwing it up further if I go to boxing and aikido (seperate classes) or should I lay off of it for even longer? If so, when is it ok to start practicing but taking it easy (no conditioning but pad and bag work).

Dude, get some rest, a week or two at the least. Plenty of aspirin or ibuprofen. Apply heating pads. Rub the hamstring with tiger balm, vick vaporub or anything containing camphor, and lightly grap it with an ACE band (tight enough to keep it warm, but not too much to cut bloodflow.)

It's not going to cripple you, but it will make walking miserable if you don't give it enough time to heal.

Once you get it to heal, I'd suggest you improve your hamstring flexibility and do leg curls at least once a week along the way. Hope it helps.

**NasalInfection** · Posted On: 9/26/2006 4:53pm

Thanks much Macho, it helps a lot. My hamstring flexibility is great but I was an idiot and didn't stretch enough.

**Yrkoon9** · Posted On: 9/26/2006 6:16pm

Takes well over a month...closer to two months to heal from a hamstring. No joke.

One of the best ways to injure yourself is to work out, allow time to cool off, then hit it REALLY hard again. It's awesome. We have all done it. Then looking back we bonk ourselves in the head. Sounds like you just bonked.

**SevSB** · Posted On: 9/26/2006 7:52pm

I dont advise aspirin, when you have an injury like that, you should really be aware of the amount of pain your feeling, if you take aspirin, you will numb some of the pain, so if you strain it worse you may not know until the aspirin wears off. This happened to me with my upper back, gotta be careful.

**NasalInfection** · Posted On: 9/27/2006 8:31am

Well, the big problem is the Aikido Tournament on Oct. 14-15 (sparring not just forms) where I will be competing. Do I just rest up until the tourney? Or can I start to really push it by next Tuesday to try and get some more practice in?

Other questions are: What can I do for some cardio/exercise while not reaggravating the injury?

**Doctor X** · Posted On: 9/27/2006 10:23pm

You have my sympathies.

The aspirin/ibuprophen is to decrease the inflammation. You need to be aware that like muscular back injuries, you will "feel better" before you are better. Like the back, it is difficult to avoid using your legs.

It took me about six months to heal from mine. As with TO, bicycling did not seem to hurt it. It was mainly a problem when doing things that require "the job of the hamstring"--flexing the knee. It set back my stretching significantly.

All jokes about "Aikido sparing" aside . . . I am not sufficiently familiar with it to offer recommendations. I would expect you to not lose much in that area in only two to three weeks.

--J.D.