High Hamstring Tendinopathy Treatment
High hamstring tendinopathy is a condition that affects many different athletes. This type of injury is usually a result of repetitive strain, and affects many running athletes. Track running athletes, particularly hurdlers, are susceptible to high hamstring tendinopathy due to the large forceful range of motion required. Endurance runners are also susceptible due to the high volume of contractions the hamstring muscles undergo during training and racing. Usual treatment for high hamstring tendinopathy involve massage, Active Release Technique, Graston Technique, eccentric loading exercises (Nordic hamstring curls), and core strengthening.
Shockwave Therapy for High Hamstring Tendinopathy
In stubborn cases of high hamstring tendinopathy, we have been having great success with shockwave therapy. High hamstring tendinopathy treatment with shockwave therapy involves using shockwaves to stimulate a healing response at the affected hamstring tendon. Shockwave therapy has been shown to increase blood supply, activate dormant stem cells, break down trigger points, and loosen up scar tissue/calcifications at the injured site.
In chronic tendinopathy, the affected tendon has poor blood supply and physically starts deteriorating. The shockwaves stimulate the body’s healing response to the area to regenerate the damaged tendon. With weekly treatments, the beneficial inflammation/healing response reaches its peak to repair the damaged tissue.
Watch a shockwave treatment with one of our marathon runners who was dealing with nagging high hamstring tendinopathy.
After 4-8 weeks, most patients experience complete resolution of their high hamstring tendinopathy. Most importantly, patients do not need to avoid training while you are undergoing shockwave therapy treatments. In fact, it is important to load the hamstring with targeted strength exercises. Eccentric loading exercises such the Nordic hamstring curl are very effective at targeting the hamstrings. Even simple isometric exercises are enough to stimulate the tendon while it undergoes shockwave therapy. If you are interested in starting your shockwave therapy for high hamstring tendinopathy, schedule here. We also treat various other tendinopathies with shockwave therapy.
