When you are carrying out activities such as sitting, driving, running, or walking up a hill, are you experiencing pain and discomfort in your buttocks? This may be due to hamstring tendinopathy.
Tendons attach muscles to bones and are made up of fibrous tissue. They look a bit like a rope and are designed to hold tensile and compressive loads. When tendons become irritated or damaged, their ability to carry out their important role can be significantly diminished. One such tendon that can be affected is the hamstring tendon, which connects the muscle to bones in the buttock region. Sometimes, this tendon can begin to cause pain, which can interfere with many pursuits. This condition can be an issue for both active and sedentary people.
Hamstring tendinopathy can be an annoying and uncomfortable issue caused by a variety of factors. Our team at The Physio Movement are experienced with fixing hamstring tendinopathy and can help you to manage this condition with personalised physiotherapy techniques.
Symptoms Of Hamstring Tendinopathy
Hamstring Tendinopathy can cause pain deep in the buttock, and this may radiate down the back of the thigh. This is typically felt with prolonged sitting and certain movements, such as running. Stiffness in the area can also occur, often more so in the morning. These issues often ease as the tendon warms up. This condition can range from mild in nature to severe and debilitating.
What Causes Hamstring Tendinopathy?
When there is a sudden change to the load a tendon is taking, it can be altered. This may be because of an increase in intensity of a training regime, for example. When this happens to a point where the tendon’s ability to recover is exceeded, the structure can change, including the organisation of the collagen within the tendon, and the cellular and neurovascular components are affected. The blood supply that tendons receive is less where it attaches onto the bone, and hamstring tendinopathy typically occurs at this point.
When someone has had injuries to the hamstring muscle or lower limbs, they are at a higher risk of hamstring tendinopathy developing at a later date. This is why it is important to acquire physiotherapy care for acute injuries to prevent other issues, such as hamstring tendinopathy, happening later on. Other reasons hamstring tendinopathy may occur can include reduced flexibility and stiffness, jumping, kicking, a lack of adequate warming up prior to exercise, and muscle weakness, imbalance and fatigue.
How Can A Physio Help?
Without proper management and treatment, hamstring tendinopathy can persist from weeks to years. Subsequently, it can be highly beneficial to gain support from an experienced physio Townsville if you are experiencing symptoms that may be due to this condition.
Our team can offer a range of techniques and methods to help improve your mobility and decrease your pain. This may include:
Diagnosis
To undertake the most appropriate and effective treatment, it is important that you receive the correct diagnosis. We will thoroughly assess you and gain a history of your issue and related factors to identify what may be causing your pain. We may carry out a gentle provocation clinical test, such as the straight leg hamstring stretch, resisted hamstring, or passive bent knee stretch tests. Scans such as an MRI or ultrasound imaging may also be appropriate.
Education
It is important to understand what activities and movements can cause, trigger, and worsen hamstring tendinopathy. We can discuss with you how to best accommodate your requirements with what you need and want to do each day. This may include recommendations such as avoiding prolonged compression of the tendon underneath the sit bone, which may occur in situations such as driving or sitting for more than thirty minutes. You may also need to avoid compression in the area due to increase activity load, which may occur in movements related to long distance running or deep squats or lunges.
Manual Therapy
We can provide hands-on care where suitable to help improve your mobility and decrease your pain.
Movement Modification
When the issue begins, it can be beneficial to rest and place ice on the area. During recovery, we can suggest suitable steps to take such as regular breaks from driving or sitting on a cushion.
Exercise Prescription
We can provide exercise advice that can help to stretch and strengthen the muscles, aid in recovery, and prevent further issues. These can include exercises such as isometric hamstring contractions or hamstring bridges.
Referral When Required
Depending on your situation, we may recommend you seeing your GP if conservative management is not helping. Alternative methods may be needed, such as corticosteroid injections.
Fix Your Hamstring Tendinopathy With The Physio Movement
Our physiotherapists can work with you to help fix your hamstring tendinopathy and find relief. We will create a personalised treatment plan and support you through recovery. Get in touch with us to organise your initial consultation.
