I tore my hamstring in my last competition. I went to the doctor and he was very vague with his diagnosis and treatment. I then saw my physical therapist and he said is was probably a grade 2 tear. He told me to stretch and still ride the bike. I have been doing this but its super painful and i have to take meds to sleep. Am i over doing it? How long does this kinda stuff take to heal? And is there anything i can do to speed healing? Thanks!
nothing huh.
Where on your leg did you pull the hamstring?
If it is up near your butt, then it will take longer to heal; if it is
down towards the knee, then it should heal faster. A really
bad tear (with visible bruising) up near your butt could take
six months to get back to normal; a less severe pull might
take a few weeks.
I'm not a physical therapist, but I have had many pulled
hamstrings in my life. For me, the best way to heal them has
been to do light-moderate aerobic exercise, followed by light
stretching, and then ice. I try to vary the stretch to hit the spot
on the hamstring where it is injured. I also usually get deep
tissue bodywork done once or twice a week for a few weeks,
and that helps a lot. You might find that contrast baths (hot
tub then ice) helps too.
Good luck.