How to recognize a pulled hamstring, plus 8 expert-recommended tips for treating it at home

• Pulled hamstrings generally aren't serious, so you can often treat them at home.
• If pain and swelling get worse, or you can't walk, call your doctor right away.
• Resting muscles after exercise and alternating activity types can help prevent hamstring injuries.

Your hamstrings consist of three muscles that run along the back of the thigh, which allow your leg to bend at the knee and extend straight.

Sometimes the fibers in those muscles get overstretched or ripped, causing a pulled or torn hamstring, says Jerome Enad, MD, a board-certified orthopedic surgeon and independent consultant specializing in sports medicine.

Hamstring injuries are divided into three levels depending on their severity:

• Grade 1: a muscle pull
• Grade 2: a partial tear
• Grade 3: a full tear

A pulled hamstring usually only takes a few days to a week to heal, and you can typically treat it at home. More severe injuries may require a longer recovery period and medical aid.

Here's how to identify a pulled hamstring and eight of the best ways to treat it.

Symptoms and risk factors

A hamstring injury usually starts with a very sudden and sharp pain in the back of your thigh, says Enad.

According to Joseph Claiborne, MD an internal medicine physician at Methodist Famly Health Center and HealthTestingCenters.com, other symptoms might include:

• Swelling on the back of the thigh during the first few hours after injury
• Bruising on the back of the thigh within the first few days after injury
• Inability to put weight on the injured leg initially
• Pain when moving the affected leg

If you can't walk or stand at all, you may have a more severe hamstring injury that warrants medical attention.

Athletes — especially runners, dancers, and those who participate in football, soccer, and basketball — are more prone to experiencing a pulled hamstring, says Enad.

Other risk factors include:

• Older age
• Poor thigh muscle flexibility
• Previous hamstring injuries

1. Take time to rest

The standard protocol for healing acute muscle injuries goes by the acronym RICE: rest, ice, compression, and elevation.

So to start, rest the affected leg as much as possible for the first few days after an injury, says Enad.

Until you're sure the muscle has healed, Enad recommends sticking with upper body and core exercises and staying away from lunges, deadlifts, squats, and other lower-body movements like running and jumping.

If it hurts to put weight on the injured leg, your doctor may recommend temporarily using crutches.

2. Try ice

Applying ice to your pulled hamstring can reduce both pain and swelling, says Enad.

Try wrapping an ice pack or bag of ice in a towel or cloth and resting it directly on the injury for up to 20 minutes, every three hours or so, says Claiborne.

3. Compress the muscle

Using a compression bandage can also alleviate pain and bring swelling down.

Enad recommends applying an elastic compression wrap around the hamstring muscle or wearing compression shorts or tights.

4. Elevate it

Keeping your leg elevated as much as possible can minimize swelling.

When you're sitting or lying in bed, Claiborne suggests stacking pillows under the affected leg so your foot is above heart level.

If keeping your leg straight hurts due to stretching the hamstring, try gently bending your knees a little so your feet and calves are slightly above your thighs. Using a specialty contoured pillow that's meant for leg elevation can help with this.

5. Consider OTC pain medication

There are two main types of over-the-counter pain medications you can try:

• Acetaminophen helps with muscle pain, but speak with your doctor before taking it if you have liver or kidney disease.
• Ibuprofen can reduce both pain and swelling. Ask your doctor before taking ibuprofen if you ​​have high blood pressure, kidney disease, heart disease, or stomach bleeding, or if you take blood thinners or any anti-inflammatory drugs.

Prefer topical pain relief? Not all topical pain relievers penetrate the skin deeply enough to help with a pulled hamstring, says Enad. However, a 2017 review found some formulations of topical diclofenac and ketoprofen may be useful in relieving acute pain from muscle strains.

6. Try gentle stretching

Movement is key for preventing the hamstring muscles from shortening and warding off tightness, but returning to exercise too quickly could aggravate your injury.

Avoid stretching for the first few days after your injury, says Claiborne. Once the initial pain and swelling have decreased, begin gradually incorporating light, low-impact activities like walking and stretching.

A small 2004 study followed up with 80 young Greek athletes who had a second-degree strain of the hamstring muscles. Those who carried out a more intensive stretching program were able to regain normal range of motion in a significantly shorter time period, compared to those who engaged in stretching less frequently.

Enad recommends holding the following gentle hamstring stretches for 10-20 seconds each, three times with a brief rest in between:

• While standing, bend forward as far as is comfortable and touch your toes.
• While lying flat on the floor, straighten and extend the affected leg upward and prop it up on the wall or a couch.
• Sit with your good leg straight on the floor and your affected leg bent, and press the heel on your bent leg into the floor.

Consult with your doctor about when it's safe to return to more strenuous physical activities.

7. Consider foam rolling

Myofascial release, otherwise known as foam rolling, is a therapy technique used to target stiffness and pain in the myofascial tissues, the connective membranes that support your muscles.

Wait for the pain to subside from your injury before trying this approach, and be careful not to be too aggressive with your rolling.

Enad suggests sitting on the floor with your legs straight, placing a foam roller underneath the affected thigh, and carefully gliding it up and down the back of the leg for up to one minute.

Foam rolling may also reduce your risk of future hamstring injury by keeping the muscles flexible. In a small 2021 study of college students, foam rolling the hamstring muscles for five repetitions lasting 60 seconds each prior to exercise resulted in increased hamstring flexibility.

Best foam rollers

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8. Rest your muscles after exercise

Fatigued or tight hamstring muscles are most vulnerable to injury, says Enad, which is why resting after exercise, especially as you transition into more vigorous types of activity post-healing, is crucial.

Regularly alternating what kinds of exercise you do can also help prevent fatigue and maintain hamstring flexibility, says Enad.

When to visit your doctor

While mild hamstring injuries can usually be treated at home with the above strategies, you should call your doctor if your symptoms get worse or don't improve after a week.

Some other signs it's time to visit your doctor, says Enad:

• Numbness or tingling in the leg
• A sudden increase in swelling
• Inability to bear any weight on the leg after the first 48 hours following injury
• Pain that interferes with your daily life
• Persistent weakness in the hamstring muscle

Insider's takeaway

RICE — rest, ice, compress, elevate — is always a good place to start when healing a pulled hamstring muscle. You can also use over-the-counter pain relievers to manage your discomfort.

Once the pain has subsided somewhat, gentle stretching and foam rolling can further promote recovery.

Recurrence rates for hamstring injuries are high. So, if you keep repeatedly pulling a hamstring muscle during exercise, it may be wise to ask your doctor about what you can do to improve muscle strength and flexibility and avoid future injuries.