Hamstring Strain Treatment in Canary Wharf
The most commonly recurring injury in running and change-of-direction sport. Most reinjuries happen because the return was based on the calendar rather than on measured strength, and that is the part worth getting right.
Overview
Understanding hamstring strain
A hamstring strain is a tear in one of the three muscles at the back of the thigh, usually felt as a sudden sharp pain during sprinting, acceleration, or a stretch at speed. It is among the most common injuries in football, rugby, athletics and any sport involving sprinting.
It is also among the most likely to happen again. Reinjury rates are high, and the reason is well understood: people return when the pain has gone rather than when strength has been rebuilt. Pain settles comparatively early, while strength deficits, particularly at longer muscle lengths, persist well beyond that point. Returning into that gap is what causes the second injury.
Immediately after the injury, the priorities are protecting the muscle and beginning gentle movement early rather than immobilising it. Beyond that, treatment is progressive strengthening, with particular emphasis on eccentric work, where the muscle lengthens under load, because that is the demand that fails during sprinting.
We assess through sports physiotherapy to establish which muscle is involved and how severely, then rebuild strength and running capacity through return-to-sport rehabilitation, testing against your uninjured side before full training resumes.
Physiotherapy for a hamstring strain can help you to:
Get the early phase right
Immobilising the leg is the wrong instinct. Gentle movement starts early and protects range, while the load is kept below what the healing muscle can take. Getting this stage right shortens everything that follows.
Rebuild strength where the muscle actually fails
Hamstrings fail while lengthening under load at speed. That specific quality is what the programme targets through eccentric strengthening, rather than general leg work that leaves the vulnerable position untrained.
Stop it happening again
A previous hamstring injury is the single biggest risk factor for the next one, and that is mostly a rehabilitation failure rather than bad luck. We test strength against your other side before you go back.
Return to sprinting with confidence
High-speed running is reintroduced in stages, including under fatigue, because that is when reinjury tends to happen. You go back when the testing supports it, not when the diary says so.
Why it happens
What causes hamstring strain?
-
Sprinting or accelerating, where the muscle is loaded while lengthening at speed
-
A previous hamstring injury where strength was never fully rebuilt, the single biggest risk factor
-
Reduced eccentric hamstring strength, the ability to control the muscle as it lengthens
-
A spike in training load, particularly a sudden increase in high-speed running
-
Fatigue late in a match or session, when control of the movement drops
-
Returning to sport based on elapsed time rather than measured strength
Treatment approach
How do we treat hamstring strain?
Sports Physiotherapy
On enquiryEstablishes which of the three hamstring muscles is involved and how severe the strain is, guides early movement rather than immobilisation, and starts the progressive strengthening programme with an emphasis on eccentric loading.
See treatment detail →Return-to-Sport Rehabilitation
On enquiryThe stage that determines whether it happens again. Rebuilds eccentric strength and high-speed running capacity, tests against the uninjured side and under fatigue, and bases the return decision on those results rather than on weeks elapsed.
See treatment detail →Sports Massage
On enquiryAdjunctive soft-tissue work for the surrounding musculature once the acute phase has passed. Useful for comfort during a strengthening block, but it does not rebuild the eccentric strength that prevents reinjury.
See treatment detail →FAQ
Frequently asked
questions
How long does a hamstring strain take to heal?
It depends on severity. A minor strain may allow return to sport in two to four weeks, while a more significant tear can take two to three months or longer. The timescale matters less than the criteria: returning before strength has been rebuilt is what causes the high reinjury rate.
Why do hamstring injuries keep coming back?
Because pain resolves well before strength does. People feel fine, return to sprinting, and the muscle fails again at the same point. Strength deficits at longer muscle lengths commonly persist after symptoms have gone, which is why testing against the uninjured side before returning matters so much.
Should I stretch a strained hamstring?
Aggressive stretching early on can irritate healing tissue and is not the priority. Gentle movement within a comfortable range is encouraged from early on, but the intervention that changes the outcome is progressive strengthening, particularly eccentric work where the muscle lengthens under load.
When should I see someone urgently about a hamstring injury?
Seek prompt assessment if you cannot bear weight, if there is significant bruising with a palpable gap in the muscle, or if the pain came with a sensation of the muscle tearing away near the buttock. That pattern can indicate a more severe tear needing surgical opinion rather than physiotherapy alone.
What does hamstring rehabilitation actually involve?
Loading the muscle at length, progressively, then testing it under fatigue before you sprint again. That means Nordic or slider work, heavy hip hinging, and running exposure rebuilt in stages. Canary Wharf Physio runs the later stages in the club gym, because a hamstring untested at speed is a hamstring that tears again.
Get Started
Ready to begin?
Book today.
Canary Wharf Physio • Unit 7, 30 South Colonnade, London E14 5HX
BookAppointments typically available within 1–2 weeks