Chronically painful hamstring

[Anonymous]

#1555

Hi there!

I’ve already read the previous thread on hamstring injury but it isn’t really addressing my question:

Backgroud: I have been practicing Hot Yoga since Feb of this year. I practice 4 times a week at least, and finished a 30 day challenge in June. When I started, I had a chronically painful right lower back, right groin pain, and right hamstring (upper attachment). It felt mostly like muscular soreness. My lower back pain resolved in April. The groin/hamstring attachment still bothered me, and my right psoas were still bothering me. In May, the groin resolved. In July, the psoas resolved. But my right hamstring attachment is still giving me trouble. It is an isolated pain in the upper attachment area right at the glute area and about 1/3 of the way down. It ISN’T sciatica (no history, and the symptoms of nerve involvement just aren’t there).

I have no pain on normal movement, walking, climbing stairs and so on. I just have ALOT of pain in the forward bend part of Hand to Feet posture, Standing Separate Leg Stretching, Standing Separate Leg Head to Knee, and Head to Knee poses. I am making sure my legs are bent as per your instructions in the previous thread, but I still have that EEeeeeeky pain EVERY SINGLE TIME. And I make sure I find the pain threshold and back off just a bit. So I FEEL it but it isn’t excruciating while I’m working.

So the question is: Do I need to stretch this muscle MORE? Or do I completely stop working this muscle? Or do I continue on as I am and remain patient? I mean, its been MONTHS without worsening OR resolution — I would LOVE to be able to do a forward bend without the screaming OWWEEEE from my right hamstring attachment.

Thanks

Freia

[Gabrielle (The Hot Yoga Doctor)]

#5464

Hi Freia

Thanks for asking your question. I would like to know, what was the title of the post that you looked at? There is a lot of information on the forum. I just want to make sure we are on the same page.

I have recently answered quite a number of posts on hamstrings but a lot of that was on the Private Members’ section.

When you get back to me I will fill in the missing link and hopefully provide something of value. :cheese:

Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂

[Gabrielle (The Hot Yoga Doctor)]

#5465

On second thoughts Freia, I will add something now while waiting for your response!

OK, here’s the background. I had a tiny what seemed non-event of an accident at the park with my daughter and from then for 3 whole months I could NOT do the same poses you mention with any ease at all. It was so upsetting not because I couldn’t do the poses as well as before (because the depth of the pose isn’t important) but because it was affecting both sides because of the pain I was experiencing and it was causing a decrease in my ease and flexibility in both legs; I was having some background pain a lot of the time. I, like you and thousands out there believed that the yoga would fix it. However, no amount of stretching or what I considered to be solid rehabilitative yoga was helping. So eventually I went to see a therapist.

This is what I wrote to another fellow yogini (Cindy) who also reported experiencing something very similar to what I was going through and very similar, give or take a few details, to what you describe:

I know that it is a great belief to have that the yoga fixes everything. It supports your healing. I think though that you are experiencing quite a bit of discomfort and would benefit from the advice from a physical therapist. Perhaps they will say that stretching is all you need do. But perhaps you will (like we did) have to do some special exercises to regain some strength in your hamstrings.

Freia, please go and see somebody about building the strength in your hamstrings and/or returning normal function there. What was happening with both Cindy and I is that the belly of the hamstring sustained some kind of injury and with the inability to heal/strengthen and the development of adhesions/scar tissue the muscle couldn’t perform properly AND furthermore it was tugging on the tendon which meant that the pain was right up high as well. Both Cindy and I also had pain in the attachments behind the knee.

I hope that helps. By the way my problem has completely resolved. I attended 4 sessions and did special exercises at home. Cindy also reported improvement after several visits. Please let us know what happens with you.

Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂

[Anonymous]

#5466

Hi there!

The thread I read was under “injuries” (the same forum that my post appears in) and is titled: Hamstring Insertion Injury:

https://www.hotyogadoctor.com/index.php/site/forum/viewthread/351/

I may make an appointment with a physiotherapist timorrow to have my hamstring assessed. I really have no memory of ANY injury to this area in particular. I was experiencing chronic lower back/psoas/hamstring pain for around 6 months prior to starting Yoga, and since I started everything except the hamstring has resolved. Which gave me hope that I was on the right path!!! And while I experience pain during the forward bend exercises (and I am still in the first part of standing head to knee pose!), I have no pain of note outside of the yoga studio. And my hamstring is no better BUT no worse than when I started.

I will let you know how things go…

Thanks for your response…

Freia

[Cler]

#5480

Hi,
Glad you’ve decided to see a therapist. I just happened to read your post, and from what I understood you may have hamstring tendinitis. The injury could have happened at some point due to stretcing the muscle beyond its physiological capability at the time and/or as a compensatory mechanism to your psoas (psoas being hip flexors vs. hamstring being extensors). In any event, the inflammation in that area needs to come down. ONe of the most effective PT modalities would be ultrasound which would help with breaking down the scar tissue and also reducing the inflammation.
Also have them check your functional leg lengths. If you have any leg length discrepency, you would put more strain on one side than the other.
Hope you get the help you need and can get back to your practice quickly and pain free.
Best wishes,
Cler

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