Krista Bocko started this discussion ·
Who can commisserate with me? It's not 'bad'--could be worse--but I wonder how long it will take to heal? Ugh, I'm frustrated that I pulled it. :(
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Jag5303 ·
I think I did by doing a drop split. I'm so bummed...right when I was getting somewhere with it, too!🙁
I pulled mine about two weeks ago. It was extremely minor though, I took a week of complete rest, another week of working out, but no stretching, and hoping to get back to stretching in a few days. It's very frustrating, especially since it was my more flexible hamstring :( hoping I didnt regress too much, once I get back to splits training. Hope yours heals soon!
ofezo ·
I pulled (ripped?) mine trying to do the splits. I got into them and then heard a loud pop! It took about 6 months or so to completely heal. I hardly did any stretching initially, and when I started I had lost a lot of flexibility, but I kept at it and now it's even better than before. My ex-dancer husband said ripped hammie's are "part of being a dancer" Lol, but I don't think that's good thinking either. Just know it will heal but it will take a while.
Yes, I was in splits and heard a loud pop too....thanks for your experiences, guys. It's so hard to try to rest it. Crap!!
Kyrsten ·
I pulled BOTH of mine... I I had the same thing happen, except I was doin a heel stretch both times. Heard something horrible... I've read hamstrings are hard to heal because of lack of blood flow to the area or something? I pulled one about 3-4 months ago and I have my range of motion back but it still aches from time to time... pulled the other a couple weeks ago and I still can't straighten that leg completely without pain. I've heard of these injuries taking forever to heal though, I need to get into a doctor or massage therapist... it sucks, one my right it's a literal pain in my ass and on the left it hurts to fully extend the leg or do a straddle. I do still stretch but I try to take it easy on the hamstrings and not do anything intense with them...
Same thing happened to me. In January I dropped into my split (which ive had, both sides, for years) and I heard/felt a pop. It's been 6mo and only recently am I finally back into my split, though it's tender and requires a lot of foam rolling. What is embarrassing is I did it to my left side in May (not nearly as bad though). I can relate to the frustration and the pain. Foam rolling and icing (after giving it some time to heal seems to help the best). As someone else said, on my right side it was an actual pain in my butt that persisted for months, making it nearly impossible to sit for any extended period of time. Good luck!!!
Wow, this is fairly common then unfortunately...how can this be avoided? Sucks that one second in a split can cause months of rehab. I'm going to look into some massage too I think...as well as the foam rolling. GL Kyrelle, sorry you've pulled both. Oh, and you too, PM. :/ I'm going to be totally afraid of splits now. Everything but my hamstrings seem to be nice and loose, and now with an injury...UGH. I'm ready to give up on splits. pity party for all of us! 😕
Jag5303 ·
For what it's worth... I get a massage weekly and my therapist is a sports therapist and it's not speeding up the process. Or maybe I'm just impatient! Lol Damn my pole addiction!
CalBear ·
For me it's been about 8+ months...still not all healed yet:(
I pulled my Gracilis muscle this week, doing box splits stretching and it went 'pop' I was gutted. Can't do my pole exam tomorrow now :-( luckily it's not bad so I can do everything apart from stretching and laybacks. Still pretty annoying though because now I'm scared of doing it again but worse :-/
Hammies take a long time to heal is right.
I used to pull my hamstring a lot from figure skating (I rather enjoy doing splits on the ice haha it looks cool). It takes quite a while to heal, unfortunately. I would think the best way to avoid them, like all stretches, is to be properly warmed up!! I wish you a speedy recovery! I understand how hard/frustrating it can be to have to rest, but do take it easy until the muscle heals up. And don't give up on the splits! :)
JeHanne ·
I pulled my left hamstring about 8 years ago doing a Bikram yoga posture. It gave me heck for 3-4 months before it started to calm down. Even 7 years later when I wasn't warm enough or pushing too hard I would get a very specific pain on that part of my body that indicated I needed to back off. I know we are all unique an our bodies respond and heal differentlly but I can drop into splits now with no problem and am training oversplits. I have no ongoing issue with that area. That is not something I want to revisit (ever) so I am make sure I am very warm before doing flexy stuff and I also wear really long legwarms to keep heat in the body during flexibility sessions. I'm sorry that you have an injury and hammie pulls suck... no doubt about it. Take care and hoping in time you get to and then exceed where you were before the injury.
kitty98 ·
Argh, I recently (a month ago) had a minor hamstring tear! After being concerned that it was still giving me grief after four weeks I went to a physio, who told me the initial heal time for a minor tear like mine was 6 - 8 weeks, sometime 10 weeks. I think if you're still concerned you should go see a physio! My physio gave me heaps of stretches and exercises to make sure it healed properly and wouldn't give me trouble down the line.
Trena ·
2 years ago I pulled my left hamstring (flexible side) dropping into the splits. I didn't really feel it at the time but the next morning I could barely walk. After a while I went to a physio but she didn't do much to fix it besides showing me some exercises to stretch it out. (She did realign my hips though which was cool!) After about 6 months I was finally able to split as much as I had been before but it took about 9 months to not feel it anymore!! In April I pulled my right hamstring (inflexible side) by lifting my hands off the floor while in the splits, obvioulsy before I was ready. Straight away I called my neuromuscular therapist and he told me to ice it, 6 mins on and 20 mins off and then bandage it up. I went to him for treatment and he reeeeeeeeally sped up the healing process. I was unable to rest as I was a week away from my first competition and I'm also an instructor so he taped my hamstring with some KT tape. It's an awesome tape that protects injuries but it's flexible so you can still move. He also gave me stretching and strenghtening exercised and LOADS of awesome advice to avoid it happening again! I am now almost totally better! So my advice is to seek treatment if you can. 🙂
Wiley ·
Ugh I pulled my hamstring too! I pulled my right hamstring 10 months ago when I finally got my right split.. Made the most awful sound.. and it took about 6 months to heal. :( I still don't have my split back, and I still get pain after intense stretching sessions. Hang in there.. it will take time and yes it really sucks so I feel your pain!
staygold ·
I'm suffering too from that awful splits that "popped" urgh!! Its been 4 months. I saw physio and he said find Myfascial release massage therapy which I have yet to try. Do you keep stretching even with the ache? Does the pain just slowly fade? I can't believe how long its been and even with 2 straight weeks off the pinch is still there. Any ideas on recommended streches for heaing? It has totally messed with my ability to do pole or even dance freely:(
thanks, guys...so much great info. I am going to buy some KT Tape tomorrow! I've never heard of it and don't really understand it but I'm willing to give it a go. :)
KT Tape - Kinesiology Tape. I know a good number of DOs and PTs who love the stuff. All cotton, it supplies you with a stable support and does not restrict motion. I believe it expands in one direction of the tape but not in the other. I do remember being told that the elasticity of the tape matches that of our skin, which is a big benefit. If applied correctly, important to note when using, the tape can support injured muscles and soft tisse thus allowing for a speedier recovery even with continued physical activity. It comes off quite nice and even stays on in water. Good stuff and easy to find.
Kinesiotex tape is fantastic stuff! But for it to be applied correctly, you need to see a PT, OT, or a DO who knows how to apply it. The application of it is tied into the origins and insertions of the muscles. You also stretch the tape certain amount based upon what you are trying to accomplish and what the injury is. If you go see a rehab specialist, you may also want to ask them about BioFreeze. It is my go to for my own injuries. I use it before I apply my kinesiotex tape to myself. Just a side note, I am an OT, so I have been trained on it, but in my opinion, I have not been trained sufficiently to use it in treatment with others. On the bright side, I work with kids, so I don't need to. Also, you may want to be checked by a doctor as sometimes they will give you a prescription strength muscle relaxer or prescription strength pain killers. When I tore my sternocleidomastoid muscle in my neck (I know big name!), I was on a lovely drug cocktail. But, it did allow it to heal quicker. Fortunately, it was not a dance injury! Good luck and feel better!
Trena ·
Oh I totally agree with https://www.studioveena.com/users/view/bcb9880e-d89d-11df-ab19-12313b090e12 ;, you need to know how to apply the KT tape for it to be effective!!!! As i said, it was my PT that did it for me!
tore my hammie and it took about 8-9 months and still says "hello " every now and then. RE; the KT tape- you may want to spend the $ to see a PT.. I posted here about piriformis issues and the KT tape has helped me quite a bit with that and the related muscles that spazz out. I went to a PT, looked simple enough but she explained the mechanics. While I had it on, I went to a freind that happens to be a massage therapist and has started basic training in the tape application and she has taped me a few times. Many personal trainers are taking classes in this too- ask around to get some references and you may just be able to find a trainer that will show you how to do it before you just try it on your own.
Ugh! I can relate to all the girls here too. I pulled my hammy (left=most flexible side) almost a month ago. I didn't hear the "popping" sound some of you have described though, that would scare the shit out of me! It's the second time this year I've pulled it, and both were my own fault. :( I didn't feel it at the time (either time), but only the next day...and the next week...and the next month(s). It really does feel like it takes forever for these things to heal. My problem is that I'm easily overly excited (like a puppy). :P I work so hard to try to get my splits, and when I finally get them I want to show them off. Well you can't just say to your friend, "oh i got my splits, want to see? Okay, give me an hour to stretch first." You kinda lose the moment. The first time I pulled it, I was doing just that, showing off at the end of a pole class. I figured I was good and warm, but apparently I hadn't done enough stretching of that particular muscle... The second time was really dumb though. I had just gotten my splits back on that side since losing them after pulling it the first time. I was practicing at home, and I didn't really do a warm-up (duh...I know), but I was freestyling for a warmup. You know, no tricks just light spins, transitions and floorwork. Generally works, but I got really into a song and was doing a series of floorwork and I just kind of did them without thinking about it...and I'm still suffering a month later. The good news is that I can finally feel it getting a little better. I can touch my toes on that side again, but straddles are still a killer. I've promised myself I wont do it again. Twice in one year is plenty, thankyou very much! Pictures are a much better way to show off, and when I do finally get them back, they won't be going into any dances until I KNOW I can do them easily.
Found a link for you ladys,hope it helps.A good way to test your hamstrings :) http://dougfioranelli.com/tag/hamstring/
TheDiva ·
I pulled my left ham when doing a standing split during my USPDF audition video. Epic auditiuon fail, lol. Dropping into splits is my #1 favorite dismount of all time, so not being able to do them nearly as deep as I used to (yet) has made me so angry. The healing process is slower that what I would have liked, but it was REALLY helpful for me to read this thread. I don't have insurance, so I've had my trainer friends massage me and remind me to foam roll constantly. I hope you get better soon!
