Am I The Only One To HaveTendonitis Of The Upper Hamstring?

by Christine
(Illinois)

Hello,

I had tendonitis of the upper left hamstring, where it attaches to the pelvis over a year ago and was under a doctor's care.

It healed and I successfully began running again.

Recently, I noticed slight pain in the same place, only on the right leg.

Any idea how long this will take to heal?

I am hoping, with no exercise, by the end of January.

This is a frustrating injury as you lose all your endurance and muscle as it heals.

It is in a place that is hindered by running or walking. How can I stay in shape while healing?


Also, am I the only one to ever have tendonitis of the upper hamstring? No articles on it anywhere.

Thank you for your time,

Christine


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Joshua Answers:


Hi Christine.

You didn't leave your email on the notifications section, so I hope you find this response.

No, you are definitely not the only person to have Tendonitis of the upper hamstrings.

It's likely that while the original pain 'healed', the tightness and shortness remained. That's just the way Tendonitis and the Pain Causing Dynamic works.

And I wouldn't recommend relying on Rest to make this go away. It likely won't. Maybe the pain will go away, but it's predictable that the issue will come back.


QUESTIONs:


1. If you poke around the painful spot, does it hurt up by the SITS bones (called such because you sits on them) at the top of the back of the leg/butt, or more medial/interior towards the crotch?

In my experience it's common to have some adductor issue in there too, if only from tight connective tissue around the adductors to tug on the hamstrings/connective tissue around the hamstrings.


2. How bad does it hurt? How what when where why?


3. What helps, what doesn't?

4. How much do you run?



If you find this and respond, I'll say more.




Joshua Tucker, B.A., C.M.T.
The Tendonitis Expert
www.TendonitisExpert.com
















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Comments for
Am I The Only One To HaveTendonitis Of The Upper Hamstring?

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Feb 07, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		I have it too!
by: Anonymous

I can't tell when this was posted but have the same thing so can I give answers for more information?

1. If you poke around the painful spot, does it hurt up by the SITS bones (called such because you sits on them) at the top of the back of the leg/butt, or more medial/interior towards the crotch?

It hurts a bit on the SITS bones but hurts a lot more towards the crotch. I can feel 'sinuous' tendons? that are painful to touch.



2. How bad does it hurt? How what when where why?

When I sit for too long (it can be as little as 10 min now) , it starts to hurt ALOT- I thought it was nerve pain at first, it was so sharp. It also hurts when I bend to touch my toes.


3. What helps, what doesn't?

Your icing helps! (I only started yesterday). Not sitting down helps too.


4. How much do you run?

I do not run- could this have been from simply too much stretching, touch my toes, palms to the floor. I hike up/down a trail w/steps/hills for exercise and don't know of that is the cause or the stretching (I have I think piriformis syndrome in the OTHER hip and my intense stretching was trying to resolve that...)

I hope you are back online for more questions soon! THANK YOU!


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Joshua Comments:

Sure Anonymous, ask away!

Let me say first, that hand/wrist/elbow/shoulder stuff is easy to figure out over distance. Hamstring/adductor/pelvis stuff is tougher as there's A LOT more mechanical variables going on.

So bear with me.

1. Where exactly does it hurt when you bend over and touch your toes?

2. Where exactly does it hurt when you sit down? Same place?

3. Those sinuous tendons that hurt, is that along where they attach to your pubis/pelvic bone?

3b. Does it hurt all around in there, or JUST on the tendon(s)?

4. When you say intense stretch, do you mean that you stretch till it hurts, historically?

5. What are you doing about the piriformis problem, exactly?

6. Do your hamstrings ache/hurt? Do your adductors ache/hurt?



Aug 26, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Hamstring tendonitis
by: K. Rosselle

Help! This is the first place I've seen words put to my pain. This has been going on for 10 months and I am growing weary. I have all the same issues as the others I have read and need to know how to feel better. Please help!


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Joshua Comments:

Hi K.

Go ahead and answer the questions I asked Anonymous.
May 03, 2011
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Upper Hamstring Pelvic Floor Tendonitis
by: Anonymous

I have been dealing with this for l5months now. I probably overdid the stretching (almost continuously over the course of the day), pilates, etc in attempts to stretch the tight muscles.

Eventually, I got an MRI and was diagnosed with a one inch tear under my sits bone area. I think it may have come from having someone stretch my leg too far on an already sensitive area.

During the last year I have tried physical therapy, deep heat, chiropractic treatments, acupunture etc.

So, when diagnosed with the tear, I rested for 3 months, the tear healed and I just had PRP last Friday. Hoping that will help. I can have up to three of these treatments.

Then hopefully it will be time to start physical therapy and move on. I was told by an orthopedic doctor and a DO that they hadn't done PRP in this area before, but by time I got off the anti inflammatories for the 2 weeks, the DO that did the procedure had done a similar case with good results. No guarantees, but it's not like surgery so worth a shot.

It's a pain to not be able to sit without being comfortable.


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Joshua Comments:

Hi UH.

It's almost been a month since you left this comment. How are you now.

So, what do I think?

I think if you have a tear, there's a bigger issue that caused the tear.

You need/want a bigger gun than I can provide. (I think there's a better analogy...better tool?)

The self care I provide is helpful and effective for what it's helpful and effective for. If you have a 1 inch tear, you're needing a better tool.

The tear happened because you have an electrical disconnect. Basically, a disruption that keeps certain muscles from firing hard enough/fast enough.

If they can't handle the load, that load has to transfer somewhere. Right to where you have the tear.

The tear will heal in time, though there will likely be downsides like scar tissue, future little tears, reduced ROM, continued signal to the nervous system to keep things tight to 'protect' you, etc.

Here's what I suggest. See this page: The ARPwave System

It will increase healing time drastically, allow you a FULL recovery, and even more importantly, correct that electrical disconnect so your musculature can work how it's supposed to work.

I don't know what your motivation level is to fix this, but take a look and see if it fits with your desires.

Did you do the PRP treatment? Curious to see how that went. The only downside is, even if the tear itself stitches itself up with scar tissue, that doesn't fix the issues which caused the tear.

Remember, that tear is where a problem ended up. The tear is a symptom of something, not a cause.

Let me know if you have any questions etc.
Oct 27, 2011
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Levaquin Users?
by: Anonymous

Has anyone used Levaquin prior to an upper hamstring tendonitis episode? This is my second episode and both came shortly after taking Levaquin which is an antibiotic known to cause tendonitis and ruptured tendons, but I have not found any information regarding hamstrings. Just seems like there might be a connection.
Mar 21, 2012
Rating
starstarstarstar 		Try using an ace bandage
by: Anonymous

03/21/12 I have had this problem for a few months and the only thing to help the discomfort of sitting is using an ace bandage and wrapping it somewhat tight around my leg. I still have the problem and was given indomethacin to help with the pain.

Hope it works. The ace bandage definitely helps!!
Mar 21, 2012
Rating
starstarstarstar 		Tendonitis of the upper hamstring
by: pain in the rump

I don't jog or do much exercise, and my job has me mostly sitting down. A few months ago I started having this pain and finally went to the Dr. He thought it was bursitis, gave me a cortizone shot, gave me some exercises to do, then put me on an aspirin regimen.

After that didn't work he sent me to a PT. PT thought it was a pulled hamstring. PT didn't work either. I decided to put an ace bandage around the area and that has allowed me to sit down with a lot more ease than before.

Can't say it is fixing this issue (have only been doing it for a week), but it has certainly made it easier to deal with sitting down!!!
Jul 01, 2012
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Upper hamstring tendonitis
by: Anonymous

Hello,

I have been diagnosed with this from the results of an MRI. I have had it for 7 months now. I have been advised on treatment plans and was wondering what exercise I could still continue to do?


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Joshua Comments:

Hi Anonymous.

What exercises can I do with hamstring tendonitis while I do therapy?

The simple answer is, you can do anything that doesn't cause hamstring pain.

For a more complex answer, I'd need to know more.

Like, what exercises do you want to do? And what were you doing that caused the problem?
Feb 15, 2013
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		tendonitis in the glutes and hamstring explanation
by: Kerry

1. If you poke around the painful spot, does it hurt up by the SITS bones (called such because you sits on them) at the top of the back of the leg/butt, or more medial/interior towards the crotch?

It is a bit painful to touch, but not too bad. It just seems to hurt all the time. I am convinced sitting makes it worse. After 8 months I thought it was starting to get a bit better, then got stuck on a plane for 8 hours and it seems to have gone back to how it was initially. I think I did this injury when I came off the bike a few years ago.

Over the years it seemed to flare up, but only for a few weeks and very minor. Then 8 months ago I decided to do some training on the bike (have hardly ridden it previously) and this is what seemed to make it flare up. Even though the pain is on the interior towards the crotch, when I run it seems to start aching in my glute. Does that sound normal for this type of injury?

2. How bad does it hurt? How what when where why?

Hurts a lot when sitting. Not really when lying down. Can't stretch that leg as the injury restricts it. Hurts on the interior towards the crotch when initally running, but then seems to more to the glute.

3. What helps, what doesn't?

Nothing seems to help. Have tried anti-inflamatories, rest (6 weeks), however I have been going to the gym and doing some light exercises (eg hamstring curls) and I have a feeling this may be helping.

4. How much do you run?

100km a week.

--

Do you think this is Tendonitis Of The Upper Hamstring and do you have any suggestions. This might sound crazy but I was thinking of asking my doctor for a month off so I could stay home and lie down and try not to sit to see if that helps.

What do you think?


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Joshua Comments:

I guarantee you that putting yourself into a coma for a month won't help. Pain will probably go away...until you start running again.

I'm a big fan of FIXING the problem, as opposed to hoping that it goes away.

Hamstrings are a bit tricky as there's so much involved; glutes, hip bone alignment, hamstrings and adductors and quads.


The short answer is, self massage. Feel around from glutes to knee, and if it's tight muscle, massage it till it's not (over time, not all in one sitting). And if you find a hot spont/painful spot, massage it over time until it doesn't. Running will add irritation to an already irritated dynamic, so it wouldn't hurt to cut down on your milage for a while while you do self care. Also, more good fat and protein.

And see: Magnesium For Tendonitis


That's the really short answer. But start with that, then let me know what happens.

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