UKH

Has anyone out there ever suffered a serious hamstring tear or know anything about them?

A week ago Mrs Dude & I were out for a short run when she suddenly fell; landing heavily on her face and at the same time injuring her leg. She ended up spending a night in hospital where they were mainly concerned with the head & face and didn't seem too worried about the leg even though she was unable to walk unaided.
A day after being discharged, the back of her thigh came out in some pretty spectacular bruising which is consistent with images of a "Grade 3 Hamstring Tear" a subsequent trip to the doctor confirmed this.

Is it likely that the tear was the cause of the fall? She's adamant she didn't trip and that she didn't feel anything "go"; just that one minute she was running along fine and the next instant she hit the deck; I was in front so didn't see anything, just heard a thud then an "aargh".

I'd also appreciate any info on recovery (For the hamstring! Her face is healing okay, swollen & bruised but fortunately no lasting damage)

Thanks

Rob

In reply to Hat Dude:

Oooh sounds nasty. I can only help if you are near Bethesda - Andy Walling is a great physio based there. He works with the British team, coaches the Welsh youth team and knows runners/running inside out. Worth consulting him if Mrs Hat Dude is anywhere near.

In reply to goosebump:

Thanks for the info; unfortunately Bethesda is a bit of a trip from Leamington

She is seeing a physio but it looks as if it'll be a few months before it's anywhere near right.

In reply to Hat Dude: wow bad one. I'd have thought she would have felt a hamstring tear. Was/is it black? A tear would bruise, a bad one anyway. And a grade 3 would be immediate pull up and agony I'd have thought.

I'd pay through the nose to see the best sports physio in the area to at least get a proper prognosis and plan of action.

Its hard to imagine how a fall would result in a tear.. but strange forces go on when you fall.

In reply to IainRUK:

Hi Ian

The bruising is severe (as bad if not worse than any googled images) The colour range has ranged through a wide spectrum from deep purple to its present state of a nice bluey, greeny yellowish tinge

In reply to Hat Dude: Seems pretty clear cut then.. I've only seen a few of them and they have always been pretty horrific. Certainly worth paying for a good physio who will guide you through.

I had an issue recently, paid £60 for a physio, got a course of action and he then sent me to a sports masseur for the rest of the treatment so saved me a good few hundred..

In reply to Hat Dude:

I suffered a grade 2 hamstring tear last March. It was agony when I did it, all I did was wobble due to uneven pavement coupled with high heel boots. However, I already had issues with my hamstrings and I'd had had a few slips, where I pulled my hamstring and not rested it. I saw a physio, she was great. I had a do a lot of exercises, 2-3 times a day for months. The hamstring was ok after about 6 months but I've only just started running again but started swimming at the end of the summer. I didn't notice any bruising in my case but a grade 3 tear is much worse. Hope she gets sorted.

In reply to waterbaby:

I'm too scared to wear heels again!

In reply to waterbaby:

And me

Thanks for the info even if the 6 months bit isn't very encouraging

In reply to Hat Dude:

I wouldn't base recovery on mine. Had other issues that were interfering with recovery.

In reply to Hat Dude: I tore my left hamstring while skiing in 2008. I got one of my ski tips stuck in a hole in a thick icey crust while going downhill and face planted, so I'm pretty sure where the tear came from. I did walk off the hill (no choice), but it was really quite painful and the hamstring was spasming. Initially I was more worried I'd done something horrible to my knee, so I went to A&E and they x-rayed it. It took about 36 hours after the fall for the back of the thigh to go black.

In the end I never actually saw anybody specifically about it. I couldn't sit properly for about 10 days and started dancing (competitive Latin and ballroom) within about 2 weeks. 6 weeks later I went ski touring for a week. Initially I could feel the scar tissue (?) in the tear doing things like forward bends in yoga, but all that remains now is that my left leg has about 20 degrees more movement than my right.

Sports massage would be a good idea to keep the torn muscle from forming scar tissue and make recovery easier, but I suspect in the end the muscle just has to heal itself.

In reply to Hat Dude:
Gwyn saw a physio yesterday and is booking in for a course of treatment.He reckons it will be approx 12 weeks before she'll be able to walk any distance.

The physio's opinion was that the hamstring tearing caused the fall, the mechanics of it were what made her go flat on her face and as it happened in an instant she wouldn't have felt any pull or pain before falling.