RAD blog

My pain has improved – am I ready to play? A common question with a tricky answer!

Both the area of soreness (on palpation) and pain during daily tasks will improve early during your rehab.  

Whiteley et al. 2018 encourage clinicians to carefully palpate the injured hamstring and measure (in cm) the maximal length of tenderness. 

As a rule of thumb the maximum length of tenderness should reduce by 50% approximately one third of the way through rehab.   

Pain during daily tasks should also resolve early – which means it is less helpful in the second half of rehab unless there is an increase in pain (ie awareness during progressive running or return to training).

This can be a frustrating process as you have likely returned to sub-maximal running and are pain free during the day.

Unfortunately returning to play is not yet recommended. Take the extra time (sometimes weeks) to return to performance, and reduce your risk of re-injury. 

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Do you have a return to play checklist?

Take Home: 

• Pain with daily tasks improves early
• Your area of soreness on palpation improves early 

References:

• Whiteley, R., et al. (2018). Clinical implications from daily physiotherapy examination of 131 acute hamstring injuries and their association with running speed and rehabilitation progression. British Journal of Sports Medicine. 52(5): 303-310. 

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