Careful sport-specific rehabilitation is needed to help prevent a strain from becoming a chronic problem. Properly treated, a Grade I strain usually will heal within seven to 10 days. More severe strains may take six weeks or longer to heal and should always be evaluated by a sports medicine specialist. The best way to prevent a strain is to begin practice sessions and competitions with a proper warm-up and stretching exercises. Strains of the quadriceps and hip flexors are common in sports requiring jumping, kicking, or repetitive sprinting.
Initial treatment involves ice, compression with an elastic wrap, and anti-inflammatory medications.
Rehabilitation should be progressive and sport-specific. Any of the three hamstrings may be injured, but the long head of the biceps femoris is most frequently affected. Healing of the hamstrings can be slow, and the treatment program is a delicate balance between measures designed to allow quick return and those necessary to avoid re-injury. The athletic trainer or sports medicine therapist should closely supervise rehabilitation. Initial treatment involves ice, compression, and anti-inflammatory medications with weight bearing as tolerated.