I have recently strained my hamstring, what should I do to help it heal asap?
450465
just rest a lot and dont move any more than you have to.
1023034
Regular deep tissue sports massage can help prevent muscle strains by identifying tight knots and weak points in the muscle. \nConditioning and strengthening the muscles not only the hamstring muscles but the lower back as well. \nEnsure the lower back is working properly and has good mobility as pain and tension can be referred into the hamstring muscles, weakening them and making them prone to tearing. \nUse a compression bandage or heat retainer until you feel no pain. \nSee a sports injury professional who can advise on rehabilitation and strengthening.\nIce, compress, elevate, use crutches for 3 to 5 days. \nSee a sports injury specialist who can advise on rehabilitation
820106
If you think you strained your ACL then you need to see your physician immediately and will likely be referred to an orthopedist for specific testing for the integrity of the ligament.  Then you will likely be referred to physical therapy so that you knee can be adequately strengthened and stabilized to compensate for the strain as it heals.  And no, you will not be healed by next week if you truly sprained your ACL and, in fact, will be exposing yourself to further potential injury by playing next week.
928310
Well buddy, you have definitely over worked your muscle. That muscle will take a very long time to heal because you use it so much to walk. Calf raises do not give you hops'.  You need to strengthen your thighs and back legs for hops. You need to do jump ropes, plyometrics, run in sand or along the beach or even up steep hills, but not calf raises. You might be able to play Monday, but your game is going to be sluggish, because you cannot do anything. You cannot shoot because you have to use those muscles to get lift off the ground to shoot the ball. Ice you legs, then put heat on them. If you can try and not do any walking until Sunday afternoon, then go and shoot a few shots, just to get your rhythm back, then you might be okay. But if I were you, I would wait for about 5 days until I got back on the court. I don't know if this is your first game of the season or what but there are a lot more games left, I would rather be there for the regular season and the playoffs rather than the preseason. So take your time and get yourself together. Rest for now and know that calf raises, are not the thing to do get your hops right.\nGOD BLESS and good luck this year
187092
I would use a heating pad and massage. You can avoid this by warming up before stretching or exercising. Drink a lot of water.
811087
You probably twisted your knee to some degree and may have sprained your patella tendon.  I will not go into all of the details but basically you may have acute patellar tendonitis now with swelling underneath the knee cap and through the tendon.  The swelling compresses when you extend the knee thus causing pain and preventing you from straightening the knee all the way out.  If this is not the case, there is a possibility that you may have torn some cartilage in the knee, this is known as a meniscus injury.  The cartilage tends to ooze fluid slowly after injury and although your knee may not have swollen immediately when playing the other day, you would have noticed the swelling by the next morning and again the swelling and the cartilage tear would produce pain when you extend the knee.  As far as playing soccer in 2 days, you should not.  You should put an ice pack on your knee for 15-20 minutes every 4 hours or so and make an appointment to see an orthopedist who will likely refer you to physical therapy for a few weeks ultimately depending upon his diagnosis.
483868
Depends on what you did to your knee that caused the pain- and you call a doctor for an evaluation, because many things can have gone amok:)  If the pain is acute, go to an Emergency Room.\n\nFirstly, if you inured it, the rule of thumb is RICE\n\n    *  Rest: Resting is important immediately after injury for two reasons. First, rest is vital to protect the injured muscle, tendon, ligament or other tissue from further injury. Second, your body needs to rest so it has the energy it needs to heal itself most effectively.\n    * Ice: Use ice bags, cold packs or even a bag of frozen peas wrapped in a thin towel to provide cold to the injured area. Cold can provide short-term pain relief. It also limits swelling by reducing blood flow to the injured area. Keep in mind, though, that you should never leave ice on an injury for more than 15-20 minutes at a time. Longer exposure can damage your skin. The best rule is to apply cold compresses for 15 minutes and then leave them off for at least 20 minutes. (Read The Proper Use of ICE).\n    * Compression: Compression limits swelling, which slows down healing. Some people notice pain relief from compression as well. An easy way to compress the area of the injury is to wrap an ACE bandage over it. If you feel throbbing, or if the wrap just feels too tight, remove the bandage and re-wrap the area so the bandage is a little looser.\n    * Elevation: Elevating an injury reduces swelling. It's most effective when the injured area is raised above the level of the heart. For example, if you injure an ankle, try lying on your bed with your foot propped on one or two pillows. \n\nAfter a day or two of R.I.C.E., many sprains, strains or other injuries will begin to heal. But if your pain or swelling does not decrease after 48 hours, make an appointment to see your primary care physician or go to the emergency room, depending upon the severity of your symptoms.\n\nOnce the healing process has begun, very light massage may improve the function of forming scar tissue, cut healing time and reduce the possibility of injury recurrence.\n\nGentle stretching can be begun once all swelling has subsided. Try to work the entire range of motion of the injured joint or muscle, but be extremely careful not to force a stretch, or you risk re-injury to the area. Keep in mind that a stretch should never cause pain. For proper stretching technique, review Flexibility Exercises.\n\nHeat may be helpful once the injury moves out of the acute phase and swelling and bleeding has stopped. Moist heat will increase blood supply to the damaged area and promote healing.\n\nFinally, after the injury has healed, strengthening exercises can be begun. Start with easy weights and use good form. See Strengthening Exercises.
702865
Well, this could be many things.  I've been a dancer for 20 years (i'm almost 22) and a dance teacher since I was 15.  Although I don't see it too often, occasionally I will get an overly eager dancer who will over-do themselves on their splits (or over-splits).  Yes, it takes practice to get them, but if you DO NOT have them yet.. take your time.  You cannot just push yourself to the floor if your muscles are not ready to go there.\n\nBesides that, you could have hurt your hamstring.  Look up some anatomy figures online and you will see that your hamstring attach at your knee.  If you severely "pulled" your hamsting that can take weeks upon weeks of therapy to get back to a normal level.. especially a dancer who takes thier body into extreme ranges of motion.  Not to mention that there could be tiny tears in your muscles...\n\nLike someone else said, it could be numerous other things.  Your best bet is to have your family doctor refer you to a specialist.  They will do manual muscle testing and many other things to pinpoint what exactly has gone wrong.  \n\nMoral of the story, take a break (even though I know how hard that can be!), even if it is only one day to go to the doctor.  You must get this resolved before you cause yourself damage for life.
1072953
lol u hurted yourself\nit will heal but u may need to apply some sports cream or aching muscle cream/gel that you will be able to get from your chemist/drug store
283087
i love sports, but unfortunately, i get injuries all the time. what i do is put a worm cloth on it for 30 minutes, then a cold cloth on it for 30 minutes. keep doing that until the swelling goes away. if you have any questions, e-mail me at smilegoat386@hotmail.com. and DON'T listen to the doofas that said "injuries can't be healed", because if you heall the correct way, they can.
241536
A common injury especially if you had just came back after a break and went all gusto.\n\nThe best thing would have been to ice it the first day and take an anti-inflammatory right away.  Now all you can do is not aggravate it.  Leave it alone and baby it.  It may take awhile, stretch gentle and don't throw the leg for awhile.\n\nUse a roller to roll out your IT band, in other words roll out your outer thigh.  This will help your inner thigh because it will help relax your inner thigh.  They are all connected
631221
It's a long process I am going through the same thing.  Take a lot of IB profen it's good for inflammation.  Go to the gym and work your quads, eat bannanas.  Lay on your back put your hurt leg in the air and try to bend it down as much as possible.  It's going to hurt you have to try to get over the pain.  Every time you bend it try to make it go lower and lower.  This will help but you have to work with it and do everything your told to do.
406899
You ought to do your best to keep the swelling down so ice it after working it and take IBuprophen when you are not running/marching on it. (Usually a bad idea to take it during because then you won't be able to feel the pain that tells you when you are injuring it more.) You're gonna wanna get it checked out though, it can lead to other problems while you are trying to compensate for your hamstring. \nYouv'e gotta cut back as much as you can in order for it to heal. And always make sure you warm it up and THEN stretch it gently before actually using it. Do not do any sprints if you can help it and ease into whatever you do.
795690
If you are just feeling sore and your muscles are somewhat tight, then what you need to do is stretch, for a good 20-30 minutes, two to three times a day. Your muscles aren't used to exerting themselves so much, and for the first 2-3 weeks, your body is going to be sore because it is re-adjusting to the new you-congratulations by the way! You should be working through the sore muscles, and this will only be for the first 2-3 weeks. Unless this pain is real pain, like keeping you from being able to move, etc. because then you may have torn a muscle, in which case you should go to the doctor. But soreness is a good sign when starting to exercise, b/c that means it's working! Keep up the hard work! :)
778794
It should ease over the next 24 hours, try putting on a heat pack for 15 mins also, with some gentle stretches. Good luck, if still sore in 48 hrs prob need a bit of physio
987636
when i work out i usually do some stretches  that warms me up and loosens my muscles so i dont ache all day....\n\nHow to Stretch Your Hamstrings\nSteps:\n\n1. Lie down on your back. Hold an exercise strap in your hands.\n\n2. Bend your right leg at the knee and put the strap under your right foot.\n\n3. Straighten your right knee. Use the strap to control how far you bend your leg at the hip, bringing your foot toward the ceiling.\n\n4. Hold a comfortable, static stretch (no bouncing) for 60 seconds. Keep your abdominals lightly contracted, with your back flat. Avoid arching your back.\n\n5. Bend your knee and place the strap under your left foot. Repeat the stretch on the other leg.\n \nhey you should look up for more stretching techniques and I'm sure your doctor will give you better advice then i can :)...... good luck with your stretching and  everything else....
883989
You may have stretched your cruciate ligament. Keep the weight off it for a few days, periodically cool it with frozen peas to keep any swelling down, and if it doesn't get better in 3 or 4 days, go and get medical advice. Knees are stupid things - once you damage them properly they never, ever completely recover.