Latin American woman working inside office, business woman has severe leg pain, massaging muscle while sitting at table on chair, using laptop at work.
The hamstring muscles attach, through a tendon called the proximal hamstring tendon, to the ischial tuberosity, the bones used to sit deep in the buttock muscles. When the tendon is subjected to overuse/repetitive stresses and strains, the internal structure can become compromised, leading to weakness and pain symptoms. This is known as proximal hamstring tendinopathy. Tendinopathy is an overuse injury where the tendon is repeatedly strained until microscopic tears form. It is common in athletes that do a lot of running but also in individuals that sit for prolonged periods. If left untreated, high hamstring tendinopathy can lead to progressive degeneration of the tissues, leading to chronic weakness, pain, and dysfunction.
The hamstrings are a powerful muscle group that extends the hip and flexes the knee. They experience stress and pressure during activity and inactivity/sitting and are susceptible to strain injuries. Tendons attach muscle to bone and are designed to take compressive and tensile weight/loads that stretch or flex. A tendon is made up of fibrous tissue containing organized type 1 collagen. Tendons receive blood; however, the supply is less where the tendon attaches to the bone and is commonly where tendinopathy occurs.
A hamstring injury involves the bruising, irritation, or tearing of the hamstring tendon or muscle tissue. Severity can range from:
The tendon attaches to the ischial tuberosity or sitting buttock bone. Tendons can have a spasm-like reaction to sudden or quick shift changes. A sudden change can cause adverse changes to the tendon. Too much load on the tendon beyond its ability to recover can cause the structure to change and the collagen to break down/tear like a rope tearing and unraveling. High hamstring tendinopathy happens around the hip area and presents as buttock or upper thigh pain. Individuals report deep, dull, radiating buttock pain during walking, running, and prolonged sitting or driving. Sometimes the sciatic nerve can become irritated or entrapped by an affected tendon’s scar tissue, causing sciatica-like symptoms.
A chiropractic therapy team will develop a personalized treatment program to improve tendon structure and strengthen the hamstrings, gluteal, and side abdominal muscles. They will begin with tendon symptom-relieving massage to loosen the muscles and get the blood circulating, MET-targeted stretches to lengthen the muscles, and spinal and pelvic adjustments to realign the body.
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