Diagnosing a Pulled Hamstring

To help your doctor achieve a proper diagnosis, he/she will begin with a medical history about you, your current condition and symptoms. He/she will inquire about the intensity of your present pain, if you heard a popping noise when you first experienced your injury, the duration and type of symptoms and the limitations you are experiencing. Details about what instigated your problem, when it started, and whether or not you have ever had treatments for this or a similar condition in the past, will be very helpful in assessing your injury.

A physical examination will be performed to determine if you have any signs of a pulled hamstring. Your doctor will visually assess and feel the muscles, bones and other soft tissue in and around your hamstring, as well as your entire leg, pelvis and lower back, to evaluate sameness (symmetry), recognize differences and identify pain and tenderness. This will help to discover any abnormalities, such as mild or severe inflammation, fluid, bruising, bone or tissue deformity, and leg length discrepancies. He/she may ask you to complete a series of flexing and extending leg movements to see what motions cause pain, weakness, tightness, or instability. This will help to determine the location of your injury (in the muscle belly or near the attachment), test for the grade of your hamstring strain and any muscle imbalances. He/she will also evaluate your feet and gait (the way you walk) to determine if you overpronate, or have other alignment issues.

Most Common Hamstring Injury Diagnostic Tests:

Most grade 1 or 2 hamstring strains don't require diagnostic testing, however these tests will help confirm if you have a grade 3 strain and/or will rule out other causes of hamstring pain.

X-rays will provide a two-dimensional image of the overall structure of your hamstring and upper leg (pelvis, femur and knee). They are helpful in identifying instability, avulsion fractures, abnormal bone shapes (bone spurs, calcifications or cysts, joint degeneration), and/or other leg problems.

MRIs (magnetic resonance imaging) will provide more detailed information and will help to evaluate the soft tissues in and around your hamstring (muscles, tendons, ligaments, fascia, and other connective tissues). They can identify ligament or tendon damage, and can help to determine the extent of your injury, the grade of your tear or inflammation, as well as other associated conditions.

CT scans (computed tomography) and ultrasounds have been also used on occasion.

BFST - Using Your Body's Natural Healing System

Your body can heal itself! In fact, your body starts healing itself the moment you are injured and it's the blood in your body that makes it all happen.

Your blood is the transport mechanism for everything that is good inside you. It carries oxygen, nutrients, water and antibodies. Proper blood flow is essential to healing.

Unfortunately, when you injure your body you stop moving and the swelling sets in. That means your vital blood flow can be reduced to a trickle! If you want to heal quickly, you need to keep your blood moving and that's where Blood Flow Stimulation Therapy, or BFST, comes in.

Blood Flow Stimulation Therapy promotes the flow of blood through the injured area without the need to exercise your already damaged tissue. You can really feel it work. Within moments of applying an Inferno Wrap™ you can feel the healing sensation and the increase in blood flow.

During a treatment, and for quite some time after you finish, your injured area will experience increased blood flow even though your body is at rest. It's a soothing sensation and extremely effective. With BFST your injury is constantly being fed with healing, nutritious, oxygen and energy filled blood. This is exactly what your body needs to heal.

How An Inferno Wrap™ Works

Inferno Wraps™ have been specifically designed for the treatment of deep, soft tissue injury.

Inferno Wraps contain a patented Energy Web™ which is flexible and shaped to conform to your body. This Energy Web™ emits a uniform wave of perfectly safe electro-magnetic energy over its entire surface.

This energy travels deep inside your body and stimulates the blood flow needed to heal your injury.

Freezie Wrap™ - The Best Cold Compression Available!

Our cold compression Freezie Wraps are recommended as the best by several professional sports organizations, and countless medical professionals. That's why we sell them, because they are the best.

We have noticed over time that our customers are so fond of our Freezie Wraps that they are frequently coming back and ordering a second one. The wraps are becoming very popular with baseball and soccer trainers, and the wraps can be conveniently stored in a cooler for quick application on the field when needed.

MendMeShop's Ultrasound Therapy

Ultrasound therapy is also a helpful tool for pain prevention of an injured tendon, and having a portable ultrasound device at home can be a powerful and convenient treatment tool.

If you have symptoms or are recovering from an injured tendon, using ultrasound on a regular basis before your activity or throughout the day will help relax your muscles, tendons and tissues, diminish pain and inflammation, soften scar tissue and contribute greatly to the healing of your injury.

If you suffer from mild inflammation or pain after certain activities or movements use ultrasound therapy when you complete the activity and then rest and elevate your area of injury.

Limit the application of ultrasound to a couple of treatments per day (the manual will recommend treatment frequency depending upon the injury). In between ultrasound treatments, maximize your pain relief and injury recovery by using an Inferno Wrap™. Proven Performance, Proven Relief - sold exclusively by MendMeShop.

If you have been given a treatment plan by your health professional, make sure you adhere to it to ensure pain free living. In general, people who are committed to their therapies and exercises will have the best medical outcomes.

Or email us at service@MendMeShop.com