What are the causes of hamstring tears. How can you recognize the symptoms of a hamstring injury. What treatment options are available for hamstring tears. How long does hamstring tear recovery typically take.

Understanding Hamstring Tears: A Comprehensive Overview

A hamstring tear is a common injury that occurs when one or more of the hamstring muscles in the back of the thigh are overstretched or overloaded. These muscles, which include the semitendinosus, semimembranosus, and biceps femoris, play a crucial role in bending the knee and extending the hip during activities like running and jumping.

Hamstring tears can range from mild strains to complete ruptures, with varying degrees of severity and recovery times. While anyone can experience a hamstring tear, athletes participating in sports that involve sudden stops, starts, and changes in direction are particularly susceptible to this injury.

Common Causes of Hamstring Tears: Why Do They Occur?

Hamstring tears typically result from a combination of factors that put excessive stress on the muscle group. Some of the most common causes include:

• Sudden acceleration or deceleration during athletic activities
• Overextension of the leg during high-speed movements
• Inadequate warm-up or flexibility
• Muscle imbalances between the quadriceps and hamstrings
• Previous hamstring injuries that haven’t fully healed
• Overtraining or sudden increases in training intensity

Are certain individuals more prone to hamstring tears? Yes, some people have a higher risk of experiencing this injury. Athletes participating in sports like soccer, football, and track and field are particularly vulnerable due to the explosive movements involved in these activities. Additionally, older individuals may be at increased risk due to decreased muscle elasticity and flexibility that often comes with age.

Recognizing the Symptoms: How to Identify a Hamstring Tear

The symptoms of a hamstring tear can vary depending on the severity of the injury. However, some common signs to watch out for include:

• Sudden, sharp pain in the back of the thigh
• A popping or snapping sensation at the time of injury
• Swelling and tenderness in the affected area
• Bruising that develops within a few days of the injury
• Weakness or inability to bear weight on the affected leg
• Limited range of motion in the knee and hip

How can you differentiate between a mild strain and a severe tear? The severity of symptoms often correlates with the grade of the injury. A mild strain (Grade 1) may cause minimal pain and limited functional impairment, while a complete tear (Grade 3) can result in severe pain, significant swelling, and an inability to use the affected leg.

Grading Hamstring Tears: Understanding the Severity

Hamstring tears are typically classified into three grades based on their severity:

Grade 1: Mild Strain

This involves overstretching of the muscle fibers without significant tearing. Symptoms are usually mild, and recovery is relatively quick.

Grade 2: Partial Tear

In this case, there is partial tearing of the muscle fibers. Pain is more severe, and there may be some loss of function.

Grade 3: Complete Tear

This is the most severe form, involving a complete rupture of the muscle or tendon. It often results in severe pain, significant swelling, and a substantial loss of function.

How does the grade of a hamstring tear affect treatment and recovery time? The severity of the tear directly impacts the treatment approach and the expected recovery timeline. Grade 1 strains may heal with conservative treatment in a few weeks, while Grade 3 tears might require surgical intervention and several months of rehabilitation.

Diagnosing Hamstring Tears: Medical Evaluation and Imaging

When a hamstring tear is suspected, a thorough medical evaluation is essential for accurate diagnosis and appropriate treatment planning. The diagnostic process typically involves:

1. Physical examination: The healthcare provider will assess the area for swelling, tenderness, and range of motion.
2. Patient history: Information about the injury mechanism and symptoms helps guide the diagnosis.
3. Imaging studies: Depending on the suspected severity, the following tests may be ordered:
   • MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging): Provides detailed images of soft tissues, helping to determine the extent of the tear.
   • Ultrasound: Offers real-time imaging of the muscle structure and can help identify partial tears.
   • X-rays: May be used to rule out bone injuries or avulsion fractures.

Why is accurate diagnosis crucial for effective treatment? Proper diagnosis ensures that the treatment plan is tailored to the specific grade and location of the tear, optimizing the chances of a full recovery and minimizing the risk of re-injury.

Treatment Options for Hamstring Tears: From Conservative Care to Surgery

The treatment approach for hamstring tears depends on the severity of the injury and the individual’s specific circumstances. Treatment options may include:

Conservative Treatment

For mild to moderate tears (Grades 1 and 2), conservative treatment is often sufficient. This typically involves:

• RICE protocol (Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation)
• Pain management with over-the-counter or prescription medications
• Gentle stretching and strengthening exercises as pain allows
• Gradual return to activity under professional guidance

Physical Therapy

Physical therapy plays a crucial role in recovery from hamstring tears. A tailored rehabilitation program may include:

• Manual therapy techniques to improve tissue mobility
• Progressive strengthening exercises
• Flexibility and range of motion exercises
• Functional training to prepare for return to sports or daily activities

Surgical Intervention

In cases of severe tears (Grade 3) or when conservative treatment fails, surgery may be necessary. Surgical options can include:

• Repair of the torn muscle or tendon
• Reattachment of the tendon to the bone in cases of avulsion injuries

How do healthcare providers determine the most appropriate treatment plan? The decision is based on factors such as the grade of the tear, the patient’s activity level and goals, and the potential for conservative management to achieve satisfactory results.

Recovery and Rehabilitation: The Path to Returning to Activity

Recovery from a hamstring tear is a gradual process that requires patience and adherence to a structured rehabilitation program. The timeline for recovery can vary significantly depending on the severity of the injury and individual factors.

Typical Recovery Timelines

• Grade 1 tears: 2-4 weeks
• Grade 2 tears: 4-8 weeks
• Grade 3 tears: 3-6 months or longer, especially if surgery is required

The rehabilitation process generally progresses through several phases:

1. Acute phase: Focus on controlling pain and inflammation
2. Subacute phase: Gradual introduction of gentle stretching and strengthening exercises
3. Strength and conditioning phase: Progressive resistance training and sport-specific exercises
4. Return to activity phase: Gradual reintroduction to full sport or activity participation

What factors can influence the speed of recovery? Several factors can affect recovery time, including:

• The grade and location of the tear
• The individual’s overall health and fitness level
• Adherence to the rehabilitation program
• Age and natural healing capacity
• Previous history of hamstring injuries

Preventing Hamstring Tears: Strategies for Reducing Risk

While it’s not always possible to prevent hamstring tears entirely, several strategies can help reduce the risk of injury:

• Proper warm-up: Gradually increasing blood flow and tissue temperature before intense activity
• Flexibility training: Regular stretching to improve hamstring flexibility
• Strength training: Balanced strengthening of both the hamstrings and quadriceps
• Gradual progression: Slowly increasing training intensity and volume
• Proper technique: Focusing on correct form during athletic movements
• Adequate rest: Allowing sufficient recovery time between intense workouts or competitions

How effective are these preventive measures? While no strategy can guarantee prevention, research has shown that comprehensive prevention programs can significantly reduce the incidence of hamstring injuries, particularly in athletes.

Long-Term Outlook: What to Expect After a Hamstring Tear

The long-term prognosis for individuals who have experienced a hamstring tear is generally positive, especially with proper treatment and rehabilitation. However, it’s important to be aware of potential long-term considerations:

• Increased risk of re-injury: Those who have had a hamstring tear are at higher risk of future tears
• Residual weakness or tightness: Some individuals may experience persistent mild symptoms
• Need for ongoing maintenance: Continued stretching and strengthening exercises may be necessary to maintain optimal function
• Potential impact on performance: In some cases, there may be subtle changes in athletic performance or movement patterns

Can individuals fully recover from a hamstring tear? In most cases, with appropriate treatment and rehabilitation, individuals can return to their pre-injury level of function. However, the recovery process requires patience, dedication, and a commitment to following medical advice and rehabilitation protocols.

Understanding the causes, symptoms, treatment options, and recovery process for hamstring tears is crucial for anyone who has experienced this injury or is at risk. By recognizing the signs early, seeking prompt medical attention, and following a structured rehabilitation program, individuals can optimize their chances of a full recovery and minimize the risk of future injuries.

For athletes and active individuals, incorporating preventive strategies into their training routines can help reduce the likelihood of experiencing a hamstring tear. Regular flexibility and strength training, proper warm-up techniques, and gradual progression in training intensity are all valuable tools in maintaining hamstring health.

As research in sports medicine and rehabilitation continues to advance, new treatments and prevention strategies may emerge, offering even better outcomes for those affected by hamstring tears. Staying informed about these developments and working closely with healthcare professionals can help ensure the best possible care and recovery for individuals dealing with this common but challenging injury.

Hamstring Tear Causes, Symptoms, Treatment, and Recovery

A hamstring tear injury is a rip in the hamstring muscles. It happens when the hamstrings are overstretched or overloaded with too much weight. Depending on the injury, the hamstring can tear partially or completely.

The injury can affect one or more of the muscles in your hamstring muscle group. These muscles include the:

• semitendinosus
• semimembranosus
• biceps femoris

These muscles, which are in the back of your thigh, help bend your knees during activities like jumping and running.

While anyone can tear their hamstring, the injury is most common in athletes. Let’s look at the symptoms, treatment, and typical recovery of hamstring tears.

Typically, a hamstring tear occurs during physical activity. Common causes include:

• Athletic injuries. Most torn hamstrings are caused by extreme stretching or overload during a sport. The injury often happens to people who play sports like soccer, football, and ice hockey.
• Past hamstring injury. If you’ve torn your hamstring in the past, you’re more likely to tear it again. The risk is higher if you do intense activity before you’re fully healed.
• Overtraining. Training too hard can overload your hamstrings and cause tears.
• Poor flexibility. If you have limited flexibility, certain movements may stretch your muscles too far.

In addition to athletes, older people are prone to hamstring tears. That’s because flexibility often declines with age.

Adolescent athletes, who are still growing, are also at risk. Since bone and muscle grow at different rates, the growing bone can tighten the hamstring muscles, making them more susceptible to injury.

The symptoms of a torn hamstring depend on the severity of your injury. You might feel:

• sudden, sharp pain
• a “popping” sensation at the time of injury
• tenderness
• swelling within the first few hours
• bruising within the first few days
• partial or complete weakness in your leg
• inability to place weight on your leg

Depending on their severity, hamstring injuries are categorized into one of three grades.

Grade 1 is mild hamstring strain, which is also called a pulled hamstring. It happens when the hamstring muscles overstretch but don’t tear.

If the hamstring stretches to the point where it rips, the injury is considered a tear. Hamstring tear grades include:

Grade 2 hamstring tear

A grade 2 hamstring tear is a partial muscle tear. This means the muscle hasn’t fully ripped.

Compared to a grade 1 strain, a grade 2 tear is more painful. Your leg will feel somewhat weak and you’ll likely limp.

Grade 3 hamstring tear

The most severe hamstring tear is a grade 3 hamstring tear. It occurs when the hamstring muscle rips completely or tears off the bone. A tear that pulls the muscle off the bone is called an avulsion.

If you have a grade 3 tear, you likely heard a “popping” sound or sensation when you got the injury. The back of your thigh will also be extremely painful and swollen.

Because this tear is so severe, you may not be able to put weight on the injured leg.

While some people use “tears” and “strains” interchangeably, the terms don’t necessarily mean the same thing.

In a hamstring tear, the muscle fibers stretch so much that they rip. A strain, on the other hand, is when the muscle is only overstretched.

Basically, a hamstring tear is a type of strain, but not all strains are tears.

At your appointment, a doctor will do several things to determine if you have a torn hamstring. This might include a:

• Physical exam. The doctor will check your thigh for swelling, tenderness, and bruising. This helps them decide if your injury is mild or severe.
• MRI. If the doctor thinks you have a severe injury, you might get an MRI. This imaging test will show the tear in your muscle tissue.
• Ultrasound. An ultrasound is another test that produces a detailed image of your muscles. It can show the size and location of the hamstring tear.
• X-ray. You’ll need to get an x-ray if the doctor thinks the bone was fractured during your injury,

Torn hamstring treatment depends on the grade of your injury. In general, treatment options include:

RICE method

The RICE method is the first line of treatment for most sports injuries. For grade 2 tears, it’s the main form of treatment.

RICE stands for:

• Rest. Taking a break from physical activity will let your hamstrings heal. You might need to use crutches or a knee splint to avoid moving your leg.
• Ice. To ease swelling and pain, wrap an ice pack in a towel and place it on your hamstring for 20 minutes. Repeat a couple times each day.
• Compression. An elastic compression bandage can help relieve swelling.
• Elevation. Elevating your injured leg will also decrease swelling. Place it higher than your heart by using pillows, cushions, or folded blankets.

Pain medication

Typically, treatment often includes nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) like ibuprofen. You’ll need to take NSAIDs for about a week after your injury.

A doctor can recommend the appropriate medication and dose for you.

Physical therapy

Once the pain subsides, you’ll go to physical therapy. The physical therapist will plan a regimen that’s designed to improve your flexibility and range of motion.

As you get better, they’ll have you do strengthening hamstring exercises.

Hamstring surgery

If the treatments above don’t heal a partial tear, or if you have a complete tear, you may need surgery to repair it. The surgeon will fix the tear with stitches.

However, most hamstring surgeries are done to treat avulsions. During the procedure, the surgeon will move the muscle into its correct position and staple or stitch it to the bone.

Recovery time can vary greatly. It depends on various factors, including your:

• hamstring tear grade
• history of torn hamstrings
• age
• overall health

Recovery takes at least 4 to 8 weeks if you have a partial tear. During this time, you’ll need regular physical therapy and lots of rest.

If you have a complete tear, recovery can take about 3 months. It might take slightly longer if you get surgery.

Your doctor will let you know when you can go back to work. If you have a physically demanding job, you might need to stay home for most of your recovery time.

It’s important to follow your doctor’s rehabilitation plan during recovery. This will improve your outlook and reduce the risk of re-injury.

Most hamstring tears are caused by athletic injuries. Typically, partial tears heal in 4 to 8 weeks, while complete tears take about 3 months. You should start to feel better with regular physical therapy and lots of rest.

To avoid re-injury, follow your doctor’s guidance. They’ll let you know when it’s safe to return to sports.

Hamstring Tear Causes, Symptoms, Treatment, and Recovery

A hamstring tear injury is a rip in the hamstring muscles. It happens when the hamstrings are overstretched or overloaded with too much weight. Depending on the injury, the hamstring can tear partially or completely.

The injury can affect one or more of the muscles in your hamstring muscle group. These muscles include the:

• semitendinosus
• semimembranosus
• biceps femoris

These muscles, which are in the back of your thigh, help bend your knees during activities like jumping and running.

While anyone can tear their hamstring, the injury is most common in athletes. Let’s look at the symptoms, treatment, and typical recovery of hamstring tears.

Typically, a hamstring tear occurs during physical activity. Common causes include:

• Athletic injuries. Most torn hamstrings are caused by extreme stretching or overload during a sport. The injury often happens to people who play sports like soccer, football, and ice hockey.
• Past hamstring injury. If you’ve torn your hamstring in the past, you’re more likely to tear it again. The risk is higher if you do intense activity before you’re fully healed.
• Overtraining. Training too hard can overload your hamstrings and cause tears.
• Poor flexibility. If you have limited flexibility, certain movements may stretch your muscles too far.

In addition to athletes, older people are prone to hamstring tears. That’s because flexibility often declines with age.

Adolescent athletes, who are still growing, are also at risk. Since bone and muscle grow at different rates, the growing bone can tighten the hamstring muscles, making them more susceptible to injury.

The symptoms of a torn hamstring depend on the severity of your injury. You might feel:

• sudden, sharp pain
• a “popping” sensation at the time of injury
• tenderness
• swelling within the first few hours
• bruising within the first few days
• partial or complete weakness in your leg
• inability to place weight on your leg

Depending on their severity, hamstring injuries are categorized into one of three grades.

Grade 1 is mild hamstring strain, which is also called a pulled hamstring. It happens when the hamstring muscles overstretch but don’t tear.

If the hamstring stretches to the point where it rips, the injury is considered a tear. Hamstring tear grades include:

Grade 2 hamstring tear

A grade 2 hamstring tear is a partial muscle tear. This means the muscle hasn’t fully ripped.

Compared to a grade 1 strain, a grade 2 tear is more painful. Your leg will feel somewhat weak and you’ll likely limp.

Grade 3 hamstring tear

The most severe hamstring tear is a grade 3 hamstring tear. It occurs when the hamstring muscle rips completely or tears off the bone. A tear that pulls the muscle off the bone is called an avulsion.

If you have a grade 3 tear, you likely heard a “popping” sound or sensation when you got the injury. The back of your thigh will also be extremely painful and swollen.

Because this tear is so severe, you may not be able to put weight on the injured leg.

While some people use “tears” and “strains” interchangeably, the terms don’t necessarily mean the same thing.

In a hamstring tear, the muscle fibers stretch so much that they rip. A strain, on the other hand, is when the muscle is only overstretched.

Basically, a hamstring tear is a type of strain, but not all strains are tears.

At your appointment, a doctor will do several things to determine if you have a torn hamstring. This might include a:

• Physical exam. The doctor will check your thigh for swelling, tenderness, and bruising. This helps them decide if your injury is mild or severe.
• MRI. If the doctor thinks you have a severe injury, you might get an MRI. This imaging test will show the tear in your muscle tissue.
• Ultrasound. An ultrasound is another test that produces a detailed image of your muscles. It can show the size and location of the hamstring tear.
• X-ray. You’ll need to get an x-ray if the doctor thinks the bone was fractured during your injury,

Torn hamstring treatment depends on the grade of your injury. In general, treatment options include:

RICE method

The RICE method is the first line of treatment for most sports injuries. For grade 2 tears, it’s the main form of treatment.

RICE stands for:

• Rest. Taking a break from physical activity will let your hamstrings heal. You might need to use crutches or a knee splint to avoid moving your leg.
• Ice. To ease swelling and pain, wrap an ice pack in a towel and place it on your hamstring for 20 minutes. Repeat a couple times each day.
• Compression. An elastic compression bandage can help relieve swelling.
• Elevation. Elevating your injured leg will also decrease swelling. Place it higher than your heart by using pillows, cushions, or folded blankets.

Pain medication

Typically, treatment often includes nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) like ibuprofen. You’ll need to take NSAIDs for about a week after your injury.

A doctor can recommend the appropriate medication and dose for you.

Physical therapy

Once the pain subsides, you’ll go to physical therapy. The physical therapist will plan a regimen that’s designed to improve your flexibility and range of motion.

As you get better, they’ll have you do strengthening hamstring exercises.

Hamstring surgery

If the treatments above don’t heal a partial tear, or if you have a complete tear, you may need surgery to repair it. The surgeon will fix the tear with stitches.

However, most hamstring surgeries are done to treat avulsions. During the procedure, the surgeon will move the muscle into its correct position and staple or stitch it to the bone.

Recovery time can vary greatly. It depends on various factors, including your:

• hamstring tear grade
• history of torn hamstrings
• age
• overall health

Recovery takes at least 4 to 8 weeks if you have a partial tear. During this time, you’ll need regular physical therapy and lots of rest.

If you have a complete tear, recovery can take about 3 months. It might take slightly longer if you get surgery.

Your doctor will let you know when you can go back to work. If you have a physically demanding job, you might need to stay home for most of your recovery time.

It’s important to follow your doctor’s rehabilitation plan during recovery. This will improve your outlook and reduce the risk of re-injury.

Most hamstring tears are caused by athletic injuries. Typically, partial tears heal in 4 to 8 weeks, while complete tears take about 3 months. You should start to feel better with regular physical therapy and lots of rest.

To avoid re-injury, follow your doctor’s guidance. They’ll let you know when it’s safe to return to sports.

Owen Hargreaves: “I’m going to surprise people, even though some people think that I have been lying underground for a long time” – England, England – Blogs long three years.

Sweden, Colorado, Vancouver. No, these are not the notes of a traveler, this is just the diary of a desperate football player who, by his own admission, seems to be cursed. In the blog about English football on Sports.ru – the text of the Daily Mail reporter Matt Lawton.

Owen Hargreaves doesn’t like to give interviews. Also, he does not like to reflect on three years of suffering and announce his return before he actually returns. Before his body actually survived his first full week of training and an hour and a half of an English Premier League football game.

You, too, would be careful if you experienced the same thing that he had to. The search for the right treatment, then months of intensive recovery from injuries that grew into years and continuous relapses; violent, serious relapses that left him so desperate that he was ready to play this season for Manchester United without a penny. He just wanted to stay on the team, just wanted his chance to catch up.

Failure is only half the picture. Hargreaves has been to hell and back, visiting Sweden, Colorado, Vancouver, medicine men and acupuncturists in a desperate search for salvation, before being told by a physiotherapist what the Six Million Dollar Man had once told him. Alex McKechnie, who got a job with the Los Angeles Lakers after saving Shaquille O’Neal’s career, said he could get Hargreaves back on his feet, and it looks like he did.

United spent a lot of money on treatment and surgery, but it was Hargreaves himself, who became a free agent this summer, who managed to find the best specialists to solve his problems. And the fact that he did it alone – Owen refused the services of an agent – makes his story even more outstanding.

He is an educated man and has a delivered speech, even though he likes to use swear words to make accents: “What choice did I have?” he once said. – “Surrender? Fuck you!”.

These words were addressed to McKechnie at the first meeting. “I told him that I wanted to leave football of my own free will, and not when the game itself showed me the door,” says Owen.

Hargreaves claims he is healthy, and West Brom’s medical staff, after several tests, tends to agree. Now on the table in front of the player is a contract from Roy Hodgson, who called the 30-year-old midfielder (one of the best in the 2006 World Cup in the national team, two-time Champions League winners) a very good reinforcement for any club.

“I’m going to really surprise people,” says Hargreaves after our meeting moves to a pub near his home in Cheshire. “I believe more and more that I can return to my previous level. I feel great and my knees don’t bother me. The only thing that worries me is the seal on my forehead that I got after not playing for three years, because of this, some people think that I have already died and have been lying underground for a long time.

“Of course I can understand them. understand their skepticism. After I walked off the field in five minutes against the Wolves, people must have been like, ‘What’s wrong with this guy? What the hell is he made of glass? Or is he playing a prank on us? It was my first game in two years. ”

“I don’t want to get ahead of myself. I would like to get in decent shape and play at least a couple of matches before falling into euphoria.

“At the moment, I think that with the right approach, I can play 40 games in a season, I can train at least every day. I hope that I will be able to return to the national team for the European Championship. You have to strive for something, otherwise there is no way.

Fabio Capello and the coaching staff remain in contact with Hargreaves, aware of Hargreaves’ ability and hoping that playing problems will continue to bypass his career. “I have something to offer the national team,” says Hargreaves. “When I watch Match of the Day, I get the feeling that I could be a good reinforcement for most teams.”

It’s not just West Brom that’s showing interest, but Hargreaves isn’t about to make a decision right away when there’s so much to think about.

“This summer alone, I was contacted by about 30 agents offering their services,” Owen continues. “But I didn’t contact them. I do not understand why some person from the outside should quickly “weld” on me. If the clubs are interested in me, they will personally be able to check my readiness.

Indeed, representatives of any club can see some of Hargreaves’ workouts, which he posted on YouTube.

“For the last three years, I’ve been recording every workout. It helped me keep track of my personal progress. Also, through these videos, I let United know what state I was in when I spent eight months recovering in Colorado.

“These videos are now on YouTube, simply because the files are too big to be emailed personally to certain people and certain clubs. I posted them on YouTube so they can watch them. I know that people, seeing this video in the public domain, inflated the story, but I don’t care. It’s not a problem”.

And why would this be a problem after all he’s been through, after struggling so long with a problem that started haunting him before he joined United for around £17m in the summer of 2007?

Hargreaves was playing for Bayern Munich when suddenly, after a routine collision, he found himself on a stretcher with a fractured fibula in his left leg.

“With an injury like this, you have to wear a cast for a long time, and you lose a lot of muscle mass,” he says. “And even when I was completely healthy, I still could not return my body to its former state.”

“It must have started when I injured my patellar tendon. I played 10 matches for Bayern in a row, then we sprinted in training one day and my tendon snapped.

“I think it happened a month before the end of the season. I got better and went through a medical at United, but now I understand that the problem probably developed much faster than I thought. The quadriceps is the shock absorber for the tendon, and when the tendon begins to tear, there is no way it can heal itself.”

“When I joined United I wasn’t going to let this little problem get in the way of my new club. I’m new to the team, a lot is expected of me and I want to play. And doing all sorts of trifles, I will lose my place in the national team. As soon as we started training twice a day, my knee became inflamed again. I had to skip some workouts in an attempt to save him. But the feeling of discomfort still did not leave me.

“That season I could play all the time, but my knee would be constantly bothering me, in some training sessions and after games it would become inflamed. I think that the tendon was gradually destroyed, I did not even celebrate the victory in the Moscow final, because I was not happy. I was part of the team that won the Double, but it wasn’t the season I was looking forward to. I expected more from myself. I knew I could play better.”

After that Champions League final, he played very well for England against the USA. “That was the last game I didn’t feel pain during the game,” recalls Hargreaves.

But by the start of the new season, he was again in a difficult position. “It was killing me,” he says. Prolotherapy from a doctor in Leicester did not give any results. In fact, according to Hargreaves, the injections made it even worse.

“There were days when I simply could not set foot. At the beginning of the season, I still played. Against Villarreal I played 50 or 60 minutes and felt fine, but against Liverpool I couldn’t play more than 20 minutes. A week later, I started at Stamford Bridge. I took five or six painkillers, but they didn’t help at all. I fully won back that meeting, but after that I could not walk for three days.

However, it was quite difficult to find out the essence of the problem. Until Leif Svard, the national team doctor at the time, advised me to go to a specialist in Sweden.

“I found a lot of information on the internet trying to figure out exactly what the problem is. My playing style is explosive. Speed ​​and athleticism were the hallmarks of my game. It seemed to me that my injury was not typical of a football player, but rather of basketball or handball players.”

“As I learned more about my injury, the name of that specialist came up. Hakan Alfredson. I called Leif and he told me that this guy is the real “godfather of tendons”.

“I decided to visit him with United’s staff doctor. He lived in the north of Sweden and it took us two transfers to get to him. Doc examined me. He said my tendon was really bad. It’s full of dead tissue. But he was 80% sure that the operation would be successful and I would be able to play football again.”

Owen’s next destination was Vail, Colorado, where he was to consult with the world-famous knee surgeon, Richard Steadman.

Steadman is an excellent specialist, according to Hargreaves, even though he ended up having to operate on both knees. Trying to transfer the load to a healthy right knee, Owen managed to damage it as well.

“I just couldn’t have the surgery right away,” says Hargreaves. “Stedman said that my tendon is like applesauce, it needs time to get a little bit in order. In November 2008 he underwent surgery on his right knee, in January 2009on the left.”

“While I was there, I met a guy, Luke O’Brion, who worked for Stedman on the rehab team. I liked him and I could trust him. He became a good friend. I called United and said I would stay here to recover.”

And even after all this, a long, slow and painful battle lay ahead. What should have taken 8 months took 18 and still didn’t prevent future relapses.

In those days, he naturally wanted to get back in line for the 2010 World Championship. Capello really wanted to have him in the squad and he said he would get a chance to prove himself. The Italian waited until the very last minute before definitively admitting that given how little Hargreaves had played, taking him was too much of a risk.

Hargreaves tried everything he could to get back into the national team. “I really wanted to play,” he says. “And desperately tried to find any remedy that would speed up the process of my recovery. I even read that book on how the brain works; about a triathlete guy who was hit by a car and who healed himself with the power of positive thinking.

“At that time, one of my friends recommended Alex to me. He was in Vancouver, I still went there and spent a lot of time there. “When you come here, you become the owner of your health,” he said. He also said that there is no such thing as an injury-prone athlete. It’s just a phrase that physical therapists come up with as an “excuse” when they can’t find a solution to a problem.”

At the start of last season, he finally felt he could play again. After two years of absence, he has no problems in training, and now, there is a chance to start against Wolverhampton.

“Everything was going well until I felt some discomfort in my lower leg a few days before the game. But it was only at the last training session, on Friday, that I really got sick.”

“I was trying to catch up with Chris Smalling and felt like my hamstring was out of whack. This was probably the result of training with a sore shin. At that moment, I thought, “What the hell? I can’t get up off the lawn again.” The next day, everyone – teammates, medical staff, Sir Alex – was faced with the question: should he be allowed to play? Finally, he took to the field.

“It was over in five minutes,” he recalls. “I tore my damn tendon. At a subsequent medical examination, I also found two tears in my lower leg.”

“That path along the field was the longest in my life. Just to get back to the dressing room, I spent all my energy.”

“First game in two years, I was seen off standing by 70,000 people watching me from the stadium and millions of TV viewers around the world, and all I thought was “try not to limp”. I looked like a clown.”

“Then I really wanted to get back to the game. I think this case shows how desperate I was in dealing with two muscle injuries. I wanted to at least play until the break. But I held out for a miserable five minutes!”

“I rarely get emotional, but when I entered the locker room, I couldn’t hold back my tears. I was sitting there with one of the therapists, and I was crushed. I have done so much for this. For two years, I replayed in my head the moment when I go out on the field again.

His teammates were as heartbroken as he was. That evening, Edwin Van der Sar came to his house on purpose. “Edwin is a nice guy,” says Hargreaves. “Great move on his part.”

In January of this year he started training again and things were going well. The match against West Ham was supposed to be his comeback.

But then something terrible happened to the youth team in training. “The national teams were playing that week, so I had to train with the youth,” he says. “I jumped in an attempt to push the youngster back, we clashed on the second floor and I dislocated my shoulder.”

“Suddenly I am in the worst pain of my life. It was a total dislocation and it hurts like hell. At that moment, I really thought, what the hell, damned, and almost fainted.

The physiotherapist put his shoulder back in place and the pain began to subside quickly, but after talking to the United medical staff he had to choose between two options: surgery, which would most likely put him out of action for the rest of the season, or intensive rehabilitation courses hoping to return soon.

“I chose the second option because I was mindful of my contract, which was due to expire this year. I had to prove that I was worthy of a place in the team and that I could play. But because of this injury, other minor problems surfaced, I was not able to enter the field until the end of the season.

“That’s when I decided to have the surgery in Vancouver in order to be ready for this season. I said goodbye to the guys before the Champions League final. It was the end. I left”.

He says he doesn’t feel any resentment towards United or Sir Alex Ferguson. “In no way do I blame them for letting me go so easily,” Hargreaves shares his revelations. “I understand them. Sometimes there comes a moment when you have to admit that something is not going the way you intended. The game doesn’t stand still. Goodbye, all the best.”

“David Gill is a great guy and a very good CEO. And I have no enmity with the head coach. He was probably even more upset than I was.”

“I told the coach that I would play 40 games this season. And he said that he does not put an end to my career, he just wants to give young guys a chance. The years I played under him will remain in my memory forever.”

“He is a great coach. He immediately notices the players who can bring him victories. He has no equal in this.”

“I was also lucky with the guys. This is a great club. The staff of the club also helped me a lot. I even became friends with some of the guys from the medical headquarters. At a certain stage, I offered my services for free, I just wanted to stay. But they said, “You don’t have to do this,” and they were probably right.

After nine months in Vancouver with McKechnie, his shoulder is fine and his knees are in full combat readiness. Stedman said his body could even endure “jumping off the Eiffel Tower.” He’s definitely ready.

“Scholesey said that if he were me, he would have given up football a long time ago. But I’m a fighter and I wasn’t ready to end my career at 26 or 27 just because things didn’t go well. ”

“I’m definitely gifted in terms of athleticism, but my real talent is that I’m not used to giving up. That is why in serious matches I have always been among the best on the field. Sometimes even better than the best. This is not just a coincidence. I have the ability to find additional strength within myself, which is probably why I have not turned off my path yet.

Matt Lawton, Daily Mail

Other topics on the England, England blog:

Review of the English press. 08/29/2011 (Topic of the day: United – Arsenal)

English front pages: Manchester 13 North London 3

English poetry

Running Exercises: Strengthening the Tendons and ligaments

Just a few days ago, a friend of mine, who is now preparing for the next race, complained of pain in his Achilles tendon. He felt it not while running or performing some special and complex exercises, but when he simply got off the curb.

If you run and do strength training at the same time, that’s good. If you add 5-10 minutes of daily light stretching or yoga exercises (same sun salutation) to all this, it’s even better. And now it would be nice if special exercises were added to strength training to strengthen the ligaments. After all, one day it may well happen that you have to give up training or even competitions due to the fact that you just didn’t go down the stairs or the curb quite right.

Today’s post with special exercises to strengthen tendons and ligaments will be of interest to those who do not want to become an expert on running injuries after visiting a huge number of doctors. 😉

Tendons consist of connective tissue and are organic cables that connect muscles to bones. Due to their structure, the tendons are very strong, but at the same time they are poorly stretched (have low extensibility).

There is no clear boundary between muscles and tendons that separates muscle tissue from tendons. Instead, there is a transitional area – the tendon-muscle zone, in which muscle fibers and tendons merge into a single whole. Only at the very end of this zone do the ligaments finally turn into white cords connecting the muscles to the bone, and it is this transition point that is the weakest link in this entire system.

A minor injury with a break in several fibers is very uncomfortable, but in the case of a complete break, surgery and physiotherapy are necessary. But there is good news: due to the fact that the border zone is well supplied with blood due to its proximity to the muscles, the injury heals quite quickly. Almost as fast as muscles recover.

Ligaments are dense strands of connective tissue that connect bones to each other or hold internal organs in a certain position. By function, ligaments are distinguished, strengthening the articulations of bones, inhibiting or guiding movements in the joints. There are also ligaments that ensure the maintenance of a stable position of the internal organs.

The main problem areas for runners are the Achilles tendon and knees.

Achilles tendon (lat. tendo calcaneus), or calcaneal tendon is the most powerful and strong tendon of the human body, can withstand pull to break up to 350 kilograms, and in some cases even more. Despite this, it is one of the most commonly injured tendons.

travmaorto.ru

PCL – posterior cruciate ligament, PCL – anterior cruciate ligament.

The cruciate ligaments are located in the cavity of the knee joint. Their ruptures are caused by transcendental movements in the knee joint.

Anterior cruciate ligament (lat. lig. cruciatum anterius) starts from the posterior part of the inner surface of the outer condyle (bone protrusion) of the femur, crosses the cavity of the knee joint and is attached to the anterior part of the anterior intercondylar fossa of the tibia also in the joint cavity . This ligament stabilizes the knee joint and prevents the lower leg from moving excessively forward, and also holds the external condyle of the tibia.

The posterior cruciate ligament of the knee joint (lat. lig. cruciatum posterius) starts from the anterior superior part of the lateral surface of the internal condyle of the thigh, crosses the knee joint and attaches to the posterior intercondylar fossa of the tibia. It stabilizes the knee joint and keeps the lower leg from moving backward.

In order to avoid trouble with the tendons, they need to be strengthened. For this there is a whole range of special exercises. We will focus on the simplest ones.

Exercise

If you have a tendon-related injury, be sure to check with your doctor and be sure to exercise under the supervision of a trainer for at least the first few workouts until he determines the right load for you that will strengthen the tendons and not harm them .