I may have a slight tear in my hamstring. Where might I go to get it checked?

Look for a doctor specializing in sports medicine. Call first and ask if they’ll take your insurance. If they don’t, your biggest problem isn’t your hamstring. It’s that you don’t have good insurance coverage. If you can (and I know times are hard) do something about THAT.

BUT, a free clinic would do it, also.

X-rays they take if they suspect broken bones (which might well be the case). Probably it will be a CAT scan.

And if you need surgery to repair the tear, will your insurance take care of that? Or the Physical Therapy?

1. Unless you think it is severe, medical intervention will probably be to do nothing. I would not spend the money.

2. Patience is your biggest asset. (Admit it, TL, you have been fighting this thing!)

3. Please go to this site and read all of what the experts say. (See links at the bottom of the overview.) Here are some pertinent excerpts.

“Hamstring injuries are common problems that may result in significant loss of on-field time for many athletes because these injuries tend to heal slowly. Once injury occurs, the patient is at high risk for recurrence without proper rest and rehabilitation.”

“Subacute phase: The subacute phase (5 d to 3 wk) is when the inflammation of the injury appears to be lessening. The goal of treatment in this stage is to begin some active range of motion and start strengthening. Aquatic therapy is helpful in encouraging activity with decreased weight bearing. Pain-free submaximal isometric exercises also are encouraged. A transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation unit may be used to provide some pain relief at this time. Ice is also helpful to decrease pain and inflammation. The patient also should resume cardiovascular training, which may include swimming with a pull buoy between the legs, and upper extremity exercises.

Remodeling phase: The remodeling phase (1–6 wk) is when the patient is able to perform isometric exercises at 100% effort without pain. Prone isotonic hamstring exercises are now added to the transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation unit and ice. Begin unilaterally with ankle weights, using low weight and a high number of repetitions. Slowly increase the weight as tolerated as long as the patient’s pain is not increased afterwards. Importantly, do not increase the weight too rapidly because this could lead to a chronic injury. Once concentric strengthening is tolerated at a normal level, the patient may begin eccentric strengthening. Because this exercise puts the most strain on the muscle, supervised exercising and slow progression of weight is recommended. In the prone position, the patient performs a unilateral contraction to 90° of knee flexion and then slowly lowers the weight. If the patient experiences pain or stiffness, then decrease the weight to a more tolerable amount. When the affected leg is within 10% of the unaffected leg, then the patient may advance to a more aggressive therapy program. Continued stretching of the hamstring is essential and should occur prior to exercise. Moist heat prior to exercise may provide improved results. A posterior pelvic tilt may help eliminate lumbar compensation.

Functional stage: The functional stage is 2 weeks to 6 months. At this point, the patient should have a normal gait pattern and can begin fast walking. When the patient can ambulate for 20–30 minutes at a fast speed without pain or stiffness, short periods of jogging can be added to the fast walking. When the patient can perform a 15— to 30-minute jog, then short periods of sprinting may be added to the jog. Eventually, more sport-specific exercises may be added. Have the patient continue with the hamstring strengthening and stretching throughout this stage. During the later stages of therapy, plyometric exercises may be used to increase speed and power during training. These exercises consist of muscle stretching followed by concentric contraction, allowing for a stronger contraction because of muscle facilitation and decreased inhibition. Low-level exercises may be used initially (eg, jumping rope), followed by higher-level exercises as tolerated (eg, side jumping over a low object, jumping onto and off a box). Because the higher level exercises are associated with a higher rate of injury, they should be performed with supervision.”

I feel for you. I have been where you are—frustrated and wondering if the damn thing will ever get better.

Hang in there.

There’s a county clinic on 4th and Grand in San Rafael. They could probably help you out.

Marina is right. Even if you go to a free clinic, they are likely to respond with the RICE acronym. Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation (I would add Ibuprofen to that list). Hamstring injuries can take a long time to heal (again, as Marina said).

For example, Steven Gerrard is a world-class soccer player who plays for Liverpool and England. He just suffered a hamstring tear that is expected to keep him out for 3 weeks. And that is for a world class pro athlete who is going to have daily physical therapy, massage, etc. Give yourself a break, stop playing Ultimate for a couple of weeks, take ibuprofen around the clock (to reduce the inflammation) and ice the area 2–3 times per day. Save yourself the money and/or trip to the doctor.

What I have a real problem with, people, is that you’re all assuming he’s diagnosing it correctly! Just by example, I’m SURE Steven Gerrard had the necessary tests and diagnosis by a doctor. I don’t think he said “Oh I have a torn hamstring. Oh well. I guess I’ll do this and this…”

He has to be diagnosed, at the very least.

@Mr M. Most people are quite savy when it comes to their bodies, especially from musculoskeletal injuries. He (in his own words) “tweaked” his hamstring playing ultimate frisbee. What, pray tell, could it be otherwise? A tumor? It isn’t like a might have broken a bone, for which x-rays would help. He is clearly suffering from the same thing most otherwise healthy people do, which is that he refuses to rest the injury sufficiently to allow it to heal in a timely manner.

To address your first post, x-rays are useless for muscle injuries. So are CT scans. MRIs are the way to go for diagnosis of muscle and ligament injuries, but, without insurance, he would be stuck with a huge bill to likely diagnose a problem for which there is no treatment beyond what I said.

@shilolo, “Most people are quite savy when it comes to their bodies, especially from musculoskeletal injuries.”

You CAN’T be serious?

That’s why we HAVE health professionals. And you can’t ask me what else it can be. I’m not a doctor.

Right. I am a doctor. Usually, I suggest people go get seen since it is impossible to know with the limited amount of information provided on the web. However, in this instance, I would suggest (as I did), that he follow the RICE protocol (focusing on the rest part) and see what happens. Not every sprain, muscle injury, bruise, etc. requires a doctor’s visit. I’ve had my fair share, and I never go in unless I think I might have broken something, or the pain is in a joint, for which a ligament injury is possible.

If you were a real MEDICAL doctor my friend you would advise him to get seen. And you certainly would NOT say people are saavy when it comes to their bodies. This poor guy tried taking care of it his way and still has pain. Time to be seen.

And the fact that you take care of your own problems yourself doesn’t mean too much – you ARE a “doctor” you say. When you diagnose yourself you’re being diagnosed by a trained “doctor”. He’s not.

I’m not a doctor. I just supervise them – I’m a Healthcare Administrator for some 30 years.

@Mr_M. You are right. I’m not a doctor. I stand corrected.

Er, those posts you linked me to show you telling the guy to get medical attention. I’m glad you did that. THAT was the right thing to do. That’s precisely what you should be telling this man now. Oh well.

@Mr_M Uh, dude. He IS a medical doctor!

Uh, sorry, but you are wrong. Not every little bump and bruise needs to be seen by a doctor, nor have the expense associated with that. If I told every person I know in real life or on the internet to go to the doctor, then that would be wrong. Medical knowledge and experience help me direct people to the appropriate level of care, whether it be TLC at home, a routine appointment with their GP or an urgent visit to the ER. There is a word for people who go needlessly to the doctor out of unwarranted concerns, hypochondriacs.

As far as my link was concerned, you obviously missed the point. Yes, I told him to go to the doctor. However, this was not out of some knee-jerk reflex, but rather, because I had identified that he had peritoneal signs that warranted emergent evaluation. Here, the opposite is true. Trustinglife has a muscular injury that will require time to get better.

@Mr_M Are you kidding me? Shilolo has brought his professional expertise to bear in providing his cogent and useful responses. You are clearly speaking out of ignorance and in generalities, which is not helpful to Trustinglife.

Although I did get a chuckle (and a headshake) from the sheer audacity of someone telling someone else they are not what they are. I think Trustinglife need only compare the avatar images to make a decision on who to listen to: monkey or medical professional? Hmm, whose advice should I follow?

You cannot make any diagnosis on the internet. If you are a doctor, you should know better than to do so without evaluating in person. What if it is not a strained or pulled hamstring, but instead it has snapped? Are there not other injuries that could cause similar symptoms?
I think that you owe it to yourself to see a medical professional that is not biding their time practicing on internet forums. Some injuries only worsen without proper medical care. It may be just a simple injury that only requires rest and anti-imflammatory meds OTC. But wouldn’t you want that advice from someone who spent years of school studying it to tell you (and who you can sue afterwards if they are wrong :) lol joking really)

This is the strangest thread it has been my privilege (?) to experience on Fluther since the frizzer question. I am . . . gobsmacked.

@Marina. Me too. It isn’t like Trustinglife is saying “I have chest pain.” and I am telling him to walk it off. Surreal.

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/67340.php

this is just one example

@Thegary I am thinking that you have never had a hamstring injury. It is unmistakable. There is leg pain and there is leg pain.

@Thegary. Are you kidding? A 57 year old man with leg pain that occurs during exertion (exercise, walking, etc.) is classic for vascular issues in the leg (also known as claudication). Did you even read the article? The patient described there is said to have had “Years of heavy smoking and high-fat meals, and other factors had caused cholesterol, scar tissue and blood clots to build up inside his blood vessels.”

Trustinglife was playing a sport, felt a tug on his leg in the location of his hamstring, and now you are trying to connect it to a vascular problem?

With all due respect, please avoid histrionics in this thread. A sprain or torn muscle is common enough that I can feel confident in saying it will get better with time. With that, I am no longer going to follow this thread. Good luck Trustinglife, and feel free to send me a PM with any additional questions. If you still want an evaluation, I know of a few free clinics in the Bay Area. I hope you feel better.

I tore my hamstring playing football in high school. I know the pain, but I went to the hospital anyways. It was worth it just for the great drugs they gave me hehe.

the point of the link was not the specific case. The point was that if he had continued to self-diagnose, he would be dead. Only by seeing a health care professional was he able to get the proper medical treatment. I will try and find the article written about TL, but I doubt I will find it.

I agree: fascinating responses to my question. Not sure if it’s near frizzer level, but hey, we all have our perspective.

What Marina and Shilolo said feel close to the truth. The fact that I could run after 2–3 weeks – with pain, mind you, but I could still run – indicates to me that it wasn’t something as serious as a complete tear. Thanks for your advice, and I will try to get myself to keep resting. (Boy, is that hard! League playoffs are coming up!)

I stand by every answer I gave, including the one that says shilolo is no medical doctor. Also as I said, if he were, there would be NO WAY he would tell a patient over the internet NOT to go to a doctor but to, instead, listen to what he says. NO WAY.

In fact, I think that action is dangerous and totally irresponsible.

@Trusting, whatever you do, I wish you the best. Good luck.

@Mr_M Interesting points. You tell Trustinglife to get better health insurance (nice), then go on to insult two long standing users. Perhaps you might be interested in reading the Fluther interview of shilolo (and the follow-up comments). Or, you can just search for shilolo and fluther, and judge for yourself.

I think maybe YOU ought to read the “Fluther interview of shilolo” yourself. I read through it twice and, I’ll be darned, I didn’t read ANYWHERE where it says he’s a medical doctor.

But listen, that doesn’t mean his intentions aren’t good. I’m sure they are.

And my info to Trustinglife about his insurance was meant in all sincerity.

And as for insulting anyone? All I did was to tell someone that he shouldn’t be telling questioners not to go to a doctor but to, instead, listen to him. That’s dangerous and irresponsible – and I KNOW that. That’s NOT just opinion.

As a medical administrator, I assume you know some doctors. Why don’t you ask them what they think of this thread (and don’t just paraphrase, let them read it)? Then come back with your “expertise”. Doctors often tell people not to come in, for example, for minor issues like sprains and colds. In this era of medical parsimony, they talk to people over the phone and over email. Medical expertise avails them of the ability to distinguish between the serious and the mundane. But, I guess you know better, being an administrator and all…

Funny you should mention that. I’ve already spoken to MANY doctors AND nurses YESTERDAY about this guy on the internet who is telling people NOT to go to a doctor but to listen to HIS diagnosis! True story! Some of them couldn’t believe it (nor could they believe that people like you would even CHALLENGE that and support what he’s doing), some laughed and said some things I don’t need to share. You see, to real health professionals, a person going on the internet telling people not to see a real doctor but to listen to HIS diagnosis and advice instead, is SHOCKING! And if that person isn’t even a medical doctor, well, WOW!

I don’t want to get into a discussion about shilolo. As I said, he means well and can very well inform. Where it gets bad is what I mentioned above. But people can believe and follow whatever they want. And that includes you.

BTW, yes, doctors SOMETIMES talk to their patient over the phone. But they’re familiar with the patient. They see the patient regularly. Or else their advice is to “Run to the Emerency Room” because they know the symptoms are an emergency. But they’ll NEVER, EVER tell a patient who they don’t know and never examined “Don’t see a doctor. Just listen to me over the phone instead.”

My friend, I’m trying to do a REALLY GOOD THING here. You’re misunderstanding.

@Mr_M You obviously are one of those indviduals who feel like they are right about everything. Admitting you are wrong about this is going to be tough. X-rays and CT scans for muscle injuries (wrong) and needing a doctor to diagnose a muscle strain (wrong).

Here is the information from WebMD, a reputable website (complementing Marina’s information from another reputable website). If a doctor is necessary in this instance, it is to refer the patient for physical therapy (assuming they have the appropriate insurance). You can be confidently wrong about a lot of things….

@mote, but what you repeatedly fail to understand is that you and your buds assume that the patient is correctly diagnosing himself and correctly describing all of his pertinent symptoms!!! You can’t make that assumption, especially when you tell the patient “I am a real medical doctor. Don’t see any other doctor. Just listen to what I say and what I tell you to do”. And when you’re not even a real medical doctor…Duh.

Dude, believe whatever you want. I’ve said all I need to say.

Again, I am trying to do a REALLY GOOD THING here.

@Mr_M Is the really good thing you’re trying to do to prevent misinformation about online diagnoses? Or is it to give me the best advice for my hamstring?

My original intent in posting to your question was to give you the best advice I can think of for your problems as I interpret them which are 1. that you have a pain that you’ve had for awhile. You think it’s your hamstring but only a doctor, together with the appropriate tests will know for sure. Everyone out there knows of a time when someone thought they were suffering from one medical problem only to find out it was another after they went to a doctor. A doctor will tell you how serious it is and/or how serious it can get if not taken care of. A doctor will tell you whether or not staying off your feet might avoid surgery someday. A doctor can give you something for your pain. I draw from real experience with a torn lateral meniscus.

I would consider it a travesty if, only because you neglected to see a doctor, your problem AND PAIN got worse.

2. The other problem is similar to a real one I have. I always felt I had decent health insurance only to find (recently) that I could still have to pay lots and lots of money under certain health conditions. It’s a cause of concern for ME. When you also expressed concern about your insurance coverage, my advice, FROM FIRST HAND EXPERIENCE, was to tell you to get better insurance. I only recently found out how much money I could conceivably STILL have to pay for medical bills, even WITH insurance. A lot of people do NOT know this, and I’ve informed a lot of people who do NOT know this.

HOWEVER, branching from this it became clear that some people do not readily realize that medical practitioners are trained to assess physical problems. People like you and me are not. Because of this, it is dangerous for ANYONE to diagnose and “treat” based on how you and I describe our symptoms. During a physical examination of your leg with a physician, he will ask you if it hurts when you do certain things. He will ask you other pertinent questions. He will assess any nerve damage or breaks.

Assuming people know how to accurately assess their physical (or mental) problems is a common mistake, which is why health professionals do not assume it.

I hope I answered your question. Again, I hope all goes well with your problem.

lol nope shilolo isnt a doctor, hes just some dude thats been able to answer ever single medical question ive ever thrown at him.

Oh btw since you mentioned the fluther interview and how you made it a point to read it twice, what is it you think shilolo does that he “works with a dangerous bacteria every day”?

@uberbatman, and since you have an extensive background in the medical sciences, you know that all the answers he gave you were correct, right? LOL! And, assuming he DOES “work with dangerous bacteria every day”, there are a LOT of “jobs” out there that do that, ranging from research, to PhD’s, to students. Don’t get me wrong. I never said he’s not a Nobel Prize winner – just not a real medical doctor. And since you brought it up, I wondered why someone who wants people to think he’s a real medical doctor wouldn’t put it IN that interview.

Just the same, if he IS a dude that can answer every one of YOUR medical questions correctly, that certainly would be an asset to the site and he should continue. Just DON’T say you’re a real medical doctor if you’re not. Just don’t tell people, especially those in pain, NOT to see a real medical doctor.

Were a REAL medical doctor to do this, he would be criticized by real health professionals. If someone who is NOT a real medical doctor is doing this, that is a travesty.

Like I said, I could care less what people choose to believe knowing and understanding all the facts. Conversely, I couldn’t care MORE about someone impersonating a medical doctor, telling people in pain NOT to go to a real doctor, because HE knows what the problem is and all you have to do is whatever he tells you.

I’ve said everything there is for me to say. Sorry, but that’s all I’m going to post about this particular thing.

[mod says] Flame off, folks.

I just stumbled onto this thread today and wanted to put my two cents in for what it’s worth.

@Trustinglife I’m sorry you have an injury and so much pain to deal with. I did some reading on the subject and it seems like once you’ve had a hamstring injury, it can become weaker, and re-injury is something to avoid by understanding how to protect the area.

When I worked for the podiatrist, we had a patient who had a complete tear of a tendon. she came to us for a second opinion because the first doctor told her it was simply a strain and it would heal on it’s own. The tendon coiled up behind her knee, so the surgery to repair it was exstensive, and her therapy much worse than it would have been if she had gotten immediate care.

Tendons can be tricky devils, so if your pain doesn’t subside soon I think you really should see a doctor.

I have to say I was a bit surprised to see others here advise you not to see a doctor. without jumping into an old disagreement, I wanted to say that the doctors I worked for would never give advice for something that was out of scope for their field. To do so would put their practice at risk.

Ok, now back to giving you some information I found online which is the true purpose of my (longwinded) post. Below I am posting an excerpt from the link I will post at the end which explains why you should take this seriously, at least to avoid future injury.

***
When tendons rupture, they often pull away from the bone along with a small piece of bone. Surgery to reattach the tendon and the bone fragment helps restore function. Athletes may even be able to return to high-level play in sports.

It isn’t always easy to tell when the hamstrings have been strained versus ruptured. Many injured athletes notice a large bruise along the back of the thigh about a week after the injury. They walk with a stiff-legged pattern to avoid using the hamstring muscle to bend the hip and knee.

The diagnosis is usually made with an MRI. MRIs show how much soft-tissue injury is present. They also show how much of the tendon is ruptured (partial versus complete). If there’s a complete rupture, the MRI shows how far the muscle has retracted or pulled away from its attachment. ***

I found the information at this site. It is from Steven Cohen, MD, and James Bradley, MD. Acute Proximal Hamstring Rupture. In Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. June 2007. Vol. 15. No. 6. Pp. 350–355. I hope this helps and you don’t have a serious injury. Believe me, I know how rough it can be to be unable to walk for a long period of time, and it’s no fun at all. I hope you feel better soon!!

@scamp I really appreciate your sharing your experience and the link you found. I read the article carefully, and I’m left hoping that the hamstring isn’t ruptured. I’d rather avoid the hassle and expense of an MRI (and perhaps more).

I took almost two weeks off Ultimate, and played again last night. My pain was less, and my speed was slightly higher than before. But it still hurt, and I was still limited. It’s been 6 weeks since the injury. I’m only playing because it’s my team’s playoffs. Once playoffs are over, my intention is to give it at least another 2–4 weeks off, to see if it will fully recover. If it still hasn’t after that length of time, I’ll consider going to a doctor then. That’s my current thinking, but I’m still open to input, for sure.

I’m glad you’re improving! My daughter tore a tendon a couple of years ago, and even tho it was a slight tear, she was in a lot of pain and on crutches for about 8 months. We were so worried she would need surgery which would create havoc with her fibromyalgia. Luckily it healed on it’s own, and it doesn’t give her too much trouble now. I can certainly understand you wanting to forego the exspnse of an MRI, but I’m happy to hear you are being carefull.

I hope you have continued success in healing.

I hope that you have made a full hamstring recovery.

I severely tore 2 of the hamstring muscles in my right leg 2½ years ago from a slip/fall on ice.

My family practice doctor was of little help to me. I showed him the injury on the day of the injury and 2 more times the next week when my entire hamstring area and much of my lower leg and foot was a monsterous hematoma. He said that these things take time to heal and to use rest, ice and compress the leg. Months later my hamstring was still very very weak so I returned to my FP doctor to get a referal for a sports medicine doctor as by then I realized that needed help from an expert in such an injury.

When I finally saw a sports medicine/orthopedic doctor he told me that it was too bad that I didn’t see him sooner as he could have made an effort to help me and said that I will never regain the lost stregth in my hamstring. That fired me up and I’m determined to prove him wrong as I’m relentless in my efforts to do so. I do specific exercises that target my hamstring daily and I hit the weight machine hard once a week plus daily jogging and a little swiming and cycling. My injured hamstring is now >5 times the strength that it was but it is still 10% to 15% weaker than my strong hammy. Progress is slow but steady which incourages me to keep working.

Good health to you!