Hamstring injury: doctor or not?

[rubato]

I get so sick of going to the doctor for everything. I have pulled something in my hamstring. I've narrowed it down to a party and a game of limbo that should not have been attempted! Oops!

It's not a bad pain, but very aggravating. When looking up hamstring tears or pulls, it seems to be at a level 1, which means that I'm not even limping, but it's painful. Stretching it really hurts it, but things like walking up stairs, make the pain go away completely.

If I ice it, stretch it out a lot, and take an anti-inflammatory, do you think I can get away with no doctors visit? I've been to pt for my ankles and a torn biceps tendon before, and they just seem to give you stretches and do ultrasound. I'm training for my first half, and I need to keep running if possible.

Thanks for any advice!

 

[jmasgat]

rubato You'll probably get an equal number of opinions on both sides! If I was in your position, I wouldn't go to the doctor yet. I have had similar things--most recently a quad strain. Sometimes, it just takes time to heal. And your plan of ice, etc is reasonable. I've done the same thing. You might also try something like KT tape. It may help with the pain/recovery. I used it when I ran the marathon and it seemed to help.

Nagging, but not nasty, injuries are the worst. I hope yours improves.

Maura

 

[geaux_half]

Like Maura said, people will fall on both sides on this one.

In my experience, pt works much better/more noticeable benefits on bigger muscles and reduces your down time (hamstring compared to tendons/ankle). I've only pulled a hamstring once, actually heard something pop while running a 1/2 marathon, and I saw my chiropractor for pt. Electrical stimulation and isolated massage healed it up really fast. If not pt, I would at least consider a deep tissue massage to speed up the recovery.
Good luck with your recovery.