Hamstring Knee Pain: Everything You Need to Know to Manage Your Pain
One of the most common types of pain that typically impacts athletes or those who enjoy being active is hamstring knee pain (also known as pain in the back of the knee joint). Despite the hamstring being one of bodies strongest muscles it is often one that is problematic, which can be from a combination of things whether it be from poor flexibility (tight hamstrings) or from hamstring muscle weakness. Regardless, knowing what a hamstring injury is, how to identify it, and how to relieve your pain is essential to making a full recovery and continuing to enjoy your everyday activities or sports. In this article we break down everything you need to know about hamstring knee pain in our guide below.
What Is Hamstring Knee Pain?
Interestingly enough, hamstrings aren’t actual “strings” in your knee. Instead, they’re a group of muscles that allow you to bend at the knee and are located along the back of your thigh. When you get a hamstring knee pain, you’ve likely either overloaded the muscles, torn something, or have injured one of the three main muscles in the hamstring group. It should be noted that there are a few other diagnoses that could be going on including but not limited to: anterior cruciate ligament sprain (ACL sprain), Posterior cruciate ligament strain (PCL tear), meniscus tear, low back pain (lumbar spine pain), damage to the quadriceps muscles, damage to the hip flexors, and sometimes even a sciatic nerve injury. Having a hamstring injury will fit into one of three levels depending on how bad you pull it. We break down each below to help you identify where your pain fits in.
1. Mild Strain: The first level, known as the mild strain (hamstring tendon strain), is going to be the least amount of strain on your hamstring. This type of hamstring knee pain will stop a patient from sprinting or jogging but will allow them to continue walking. You may certainly still experience pain in the back of your thigh for a 7-14 days, but it should not limit your range of motion or ability to complete your daily activities.
2. Partial Tear: The second level of hamstring strains is known as the partial tear, is a bit more serious that a mild strain. You will have a sharp pain when it happens. This will cause swelling of the hamstring and cause the patient to limp or feel pain when shifting around. On the injured leg you may notice some bruising in the hamstring muscle group or in the back of the knee joint (although this may not be immediate)
3. Complete Tearing: The third level is the most painful of all mentioned levels. If you have a complete tear of the hamstring, bruising and swelling will immediately be noticeable. You’ll likely need to use crutches and stay off your feet while healing from this injury. This can happen to both professionals and amateurs in big-league sports. In severe cases this injury may account for what is known as an avulsion injury or fracture of the ischial tuberosity (this is where the hamstrings originate). To rule this injury out you will need a magnetic resonance image (MRI) and a physical examination complete. If it is an avulsion fracture, you will likely need surgical intervention to correct this.
The recovery time for each level depends on how you treat the pain when it’s first discovered. While mild strains can take a few days to a month to heal, Partial tears or complete tearing can take a few weeks or months to heal.
Why Do People Get Hamstring Knee Pain?
There are many reasons why you might have hamstring knee pain. Many people are likely to experience this if they don’t warm up before exercising, have weak glutes/hamstrings, or overly strong muscles in the front of the thigh (quadriceps muscles) compared to the back (hamstring muscles). This can also be caused by hamstring tightness. Common causes of these types of injuries include sports with kicking, jumping, and running or if you participate in activities like ice skating, weightlifting, dancing, or water skiing.
To avoid having hamstring knee pain, it’s essential to take the time to properly stretch before any activity and follow all safety instructions when participating in any activity or sport. While there is always a risk of injury with anything we do, it can be mitigated significantly if handled correctly.
What Are the Signs of Hamstring Knee Pain?
If you’re feeling pain in your knee, you might assume that you have hamstring knee pain. Besides the obvious signs, you may experience many other symptoms indicating you could have hamstring knee pain. These signs may include:
Sudden pain in the back of the knee during exercise which may consist of a pop, snap, or tearing feeling.
Bruising or Swelling
Tenderness to the hamstring area
Pain in the lower butt or back of the thigh when bending over, straightening the leg, or even when you’re trying to walk
Uncomfortable pain that won’t seem to go away
If you feel any of these symptoms, you’ll need to consult your physical therapist to confirm it is a hamstring strain.
How Does A Diagnosis Occur?
During your visit to a physical therapy office in Chesapeake, you’ll be asked multiple questions about your medical history, including the way you warm up, the type of activities you participate in, and how you like to exercise. You’ll also need to describe when you first started to feel the pain and the symptoms you’re experiencing.
After talking through your history, our physical therapy professionals will take a look at the back of your thigh. The physical exam consists of extending and flexing your leg. While the movement or probing of the back of your thigh might hurt, it’s important to pinpoint exactly when and where you feel pain. Depending on the severity of the pain, you might need X-Rays to rule out another type of injuries such as an avulsion.
Once it’s been determined that you have a hamstring knee tear, your doctor will work with you to create a recovery plan moving forward.
What Does Treatment for Hamstring Knee Pain Look Like?
Most of the time, hamstring sprains will heal without any medical treatment needed for your knee. However, if you want to speed up the recovery time for your hamstring knee pain, you can follow these tips below.
Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
Gentle mobilization: Keeping you moving gently is key. Going to physical therapy in Chesapeake will help you learn the proper strengthening or knee stretches you can do to help protect yourself against further harm. Contrary to popular belief, depending on the severity of your pain, you might be told not to participate in stretching activities at all. after all, it is overstitching that caused the problem in the first place.
Use Ice: One of the most common symptoms you’ll find with hamstring knee pain is extreme swelling and bruising in the hamstring area. Try to apply ice to the spot that is swelling for at least 30 minutes at a time until the pain starts to subside.
Rest the affected leg: When we get injured, the most important thing to do is let our body rest and naturally recover from the injury. Try to avoid putting any type of stress on the leg that has the pain. If it’s extremely painful, then you’ll need to consult your physical therapist about using crutches until the pain goes away. However, just because you have an injury does NOT mean you should just be resting. Continuing to exercise uninvolved body party can actually help increase recovery speed.
Take NSAID’s to Help With Inflammation: When you have hamstring knee pain, you might find yourself with severe swelling or discomfort. Using an anti-inflammatory medication free of steroids like Aleve or Advil can help to lessen the effects of swelling or pain.
Are You Struggling with Hamstring Knee Pain?
If you find yourself with a lot of pain in your knee, it’s essential to get yourself scheduled with a professional to diagnose the issue. Schedule your appointment with our physical therapy office in Chesapeake today to help relieve your nagging knee pain.