Hamstring Injury Symptoms

When you suffer a hamstring injury, it usually means you've sustained a strain to one or more of the muscles in the back of the thigh. This can range from a minimal injury in which the muscle is stretched just slightly beyond its normal capacity to a severe strain where the actual fibers have torn and severed the muscle. In either case, you'll experience symptoms indicating that you have suffered an injury.

Pain

• Of all the symptoms involving a hamstring injury, pain is the most common. With the hamstring, the intensity of the pain is dependent on the severity of the injury. For some, this pain is sharp and sudden and isolated in the back of the thigh, while for others it begins as a dull discomfort and becomes pressure within the affected muscle that radiates down into the back of the knee.

Swelling

• Swelling often follows, even in mild hamstring injuries. When a muscle sustains an injury, the body sends blood to the area to aid in healing, resulting in this symptom. And much like pain, the amount of swelling is dependent on the severity of the injury. It may later be seen as a knot within the affected muscle.

Limited Mobility

• A hamstring injury usually limits mobility, as one or more of the muscles in the hamstring have sustained a strain or a tear, affecting extension and contraction of the injured leg. This hinders walking, standing, straightening the leg and even putting weight on it.

Bruising

• At times bruising occurs after a hamstring injury as a result of its effect on the capillaries of the thigh. Capillaries that are damaged start to bleed and form a bruise.

Muscle Indentation

• In more severe hamstring injuries, you may notice an indentation along the back of the thigh. This gap within the muscle is an indication that a full tear or rupture has occurred, and you should seek medical attention immediately.