How to Know if You Pulled Your Hamstring

The hamstring muscle group consists of three muscles-- the semitendinosus, semimembranosus and biceps femoris. This muscle group is located on the back of the thigh. "Pulling a hamstring" is a frequently-used term to describe straining or partially tearing one or more of the muscles that make up the hamstring muscle group. Muscle strains are graded according to severity, with a grade 1 strain being mild and usually healing rapidly and a grade 3 strain being a complete tear of the muscle that can take months to heal. In more severe cases of hamstring injuries, the tendon tears away from the bone.

Instructions

• 1

  Try to remember the moment the injury occurred. Feeling a sudden, sharp pain at the back of the leg while you are exercising, or during sprinting or high velocity movements, can indicate a hamstring muscle tears. This pain in the thigh most often will cause you to come to an abrupt stop and either hop on your good leg or fall to the ground.

• 2

  Look for telltale signs of an injury to the hamstring muscle. Swelling or discomfort in the back of the thigh hours after an incident is one of the most common signs. Bruising or discoloration on the back of your leg and below the knee within a few days of the injury is also a common indicator of a pulled hamstring muscle.

• 3

  Notice if you feel weakness in the hamstring muscle that lasts for weeks; this is a frequent complaint of individuals who have torn a hamstring. Straightening the knee, contracting the muscle against resistance and flexing the knee against resistance may immediately cause pain to your hamstring muscle. Walking or putting any weight on the injured leg is nearly impossible without the leg buckling or some level of pain.