Hamstring and Cramp injury!

netwhizkid

I am crippled:o Ok so I don't play Hurling or Football or any sport for that manner but I was doing manual labour on Saturday which involved alot of kneeling and squatting and I am pretty certain I have pulled a hamstring on both my legs. It is painful enough and I thought would just go away for it has not although it has eased a little since yesterday. Walking is sore enough with it also.

GAA players suffer with this all the time so I figured who better to ask!, How long does the pain last and when should the leg return to normal. I get cramps occasionally and they can be fierce painful, when I was a teenager I got such a bad cramp that I fainted from the pain and was out cold for over an hour as I was on my own when it happened. I also got one while on a flight to the US and that would be one of the more frightening experiences of my life. Trying to keep back the screams of pain was bad but it went away when I stood up, I remained standing for most of the remaining three hours as it happened mid way though the flight.

Would my history of cramp leave me more open to pulling the hamstring?

Thanks

Lemlin

netwhizkid wrote: »

I am crippled:o Ok so I don't play Hurling or Football or any sport for that manner but I was doing manual labour on Saturday which involved alot of kneeling and squatting and I am pretty certain I have pulled a hamstring on both my legs. It is painful enough and I thought would just go away for it has not although it has eased a little since yesterday. Walking is sore enough with it also.

GAA players suffer with this all the time so I figured who better to ask!, How long does the pain last and when should the leg return to normal. I get cramps occasionally and they can be fierce painful, when I was a teenager I got such a bad cramp that I fainted from the pain and was out cold for over an hour as I was on my own when it happened. I also got one while on a flight to the US and that would be one of the more frightening experiences of my life. Trying to keep back the screams of pain was bad but it went away when I stood up, I remained standing for most of the remaining three hours as it happened mid way though the flight.

Would my history of cramp leave me more open to pulling the hamstring?

Thanks

Do you exercise at all?

Sounds to me like you used muscles on Saturday that you haven't used in a long time. Those muscles aren't used to being used and that's why they are strained.

The same would happen someone who hadn't used the gym for a year and went back and done a half hour on a treadmill. Their legs would be grand at first but they'd be dieing the next day and for a few days after.

I wouldn't worry about your hamstrings. You'll probably have the pain for a few days but after that you'll be fine.

blackbelt

Same can be said if you excercise too much over a short period of time.Recently I refereed 5 games in the space of 10 days with the last two games within 24 hours of each other.The calf muscles do get stiff.I reckon a warm-down can only do so much in a case like that but I reckon most pulls,strains and stiffness are as a result of lack of hydration.

injured365

blackbelt wrote: »

Same can be said if you excercise too much over a short period of time.Recently I refereed 5 games in the space of 10 days with the last two games within 24 hours of each other.The calf muscles do get stiff.I reckon a warm-down can only do so much in a case like that but I reckon most pulls,strains and stiffness are as a result of lack of hydration.

Hydration has little to do with it. When you exercise you damage the micro fibers of the muscles. If sufficient recovery time isnt given, the damage gets worse eventually resulting in tears or strains.

netwhizkid

injured365 wrote: »

Hydration has little to do with it. When you exercise you damage the micro fibers of the muscles. If sufficient recovery time isnt given, the damage gets worse eventually resulting in tears or strains.

I was turning turf over a consecutive period of three days without much of a break, I was kneeling and squatting for long enough periods and am now paying the price.

Groe

It's only stiffness, it's like playing a match after a Summer of hardly any training, I'm guessing you'll be ok in about 2 or 3 days.

Lemlin

netwhizkid wrote: »

I was turning turf over a consecutive period of three days without much of a break, I was kneeling and squatting for long enough periods and am now paying the price.

Get yourself out walking a dog or doing something active regularly!

netwhizkid

The stiffness is going away thankfully now, incidentally my dog died so walking that is not an option. Swimming pool here I come!

entropi

injured365 wrote: »

Hydration has little to do with it. When you exercise you damage the micro fibers of the muscles. If sufficient recovery time isnt given, the damage gets worse eventually resulting in tears or strains.

Actually hydration has alot to do with it...

The way fluid is taken in to muscles is controlled by the level of minerals in the bloodstream like potassium and sodium, these help control the way the actin and myosin filaments slide between each other and make the muscle contract. If the body is even partially dehydrated it can have a big effect on how the muscles perform. Why do you think its important to drink around 500ml of water an hour prior to exercise, and eating foods like banana, which are rich in potassium help with cramp prevention?

Regular stretching after a warm up (say once a day) will help this, along with a more controlled diet and fluid intake.

And microtears of fibres happen anytime you do exercise, recovery time certainly is needed like injured365 says, and further exercise can only extend the period and likelyhood of cramp happening.

injured365

Master of Nothing wrote: »

Actually hydration has alot to do with it...

The way fluid is taken in to muscles is controlled by the level of minerals in the bloodstream like potassium and sodium, these help control the way the actin and myosin filaments slide between each other and make the muscle contract. If the body is even partially dehydrated it can have a big effect on how the muscles perform. Why do you think its important to drink around 500ml of water an hour prior to exercise, and eating foods like banana, which are rich in potassium help with cramp prevention?

Regular stretching after a warm up (say once a day) will help this, along with a more controlled diet and fluid intake.

And microtears of fibres happen anytime you do exercise, recovery time certainly is needed like injured365 says, and further exercise can only extend the period and likelyhood of cramp happening.

I know the importance of hydration alright but i was just trying to stress the importance of recovery as its something many people involved in GAA tend to ignore to their detriment

WinstonSmith

Quick fix answer! I play football and have pulled my hamstring before. It is incredibly painful but a good way to spot the difference between it and just aches and pains after using muscles you haven't used in a while is to ask yourself a question: Did the pain in each leg come on very suddenly, shooting up your leg to the point where you could not continue with what you were doing? Pulling hamstrings is not a gradual process. It is sudden and sharp; it will go quickly from not being pulled to being pulled. If you did suddenly freel a sharp pain shoot up the back of your leg than you may have pulled your hamstring and should be checked by a physio. If you did not suddenly feel a sharp pain shoot up the back of your leg then you certainly did not pull your hamstring. Hope this helps.

LeoB

Jeasus it reminds me of picking spuds during the school holidays.
We were reasonably fit lads but the strain of bending and stretching would leave you in bits. You would be sitting at home that evening and get up and find you could hardly move.

If you live near the sea go for a swim and gently massage your own hamstrings when you are in the water.

I played 1 friendly of game of football last year andwas in ribbons for about 3 or 4 days after it. Due to play a game this Sunday but I will remember my age this time. Let the ball do the work!!!

I would also suggest to you its no harm to do a few stretchs every morning, not a traing session just a few minutes to loosen up a bit.