I Pulled a hammy

mtfisherwoman

Does anyone know if I should be doing anything other than icing and alternating heat and ice? Is it still safe to work out?

nisijam5

Ibuprofen

JustAmy

take it slow so you do not injure yourself any further!

rhenneberry

My case was pretty severe. I have been out of commission with a hamstring strain for 3 months. I had difficulty sitting in a chair, driving and with stairs. I needed Physical Therapy and am now working with a Personal Trainer to help get me back to my normal activity. My inital thought was to treat the injury like shin splints but the injury was more severe. I didn't stop my activity which probally resulted in a longer recovery time.

First determine how serious the injury is. I would recommend taking time off from lower body activity and icing for at least a week. If you don't have improvement then consult a doctor. Be careful returning to activity any signs of discomfort stop the activity and give yourself time to heal.
As for your heat vs. ice. The Rice Method seems to be the way to go.

Iceprincessk25

If you just pulled it you shouldn't be putting ANY heat on it. That makes it worse. Stick with ice if it's a new injury for the first week. Advil will be an anti-inflamm. for you as long as you're taking it consistently for three days straight.

Hamstrings take forever to heal and once you've had one the chances of you pulling it again are VERY high.

If you are working out some compression shorts might be in order for you to wear for a while to help.

mtfisherwoman

Thanks everyone! I don't think it's too severe but I don't want to make it worse.