RecoverMe

Thigh / hamstring · Acute Hamstring Strain

Hamstring Strain

You’ve strained (overstretched and partly torn) one of the hamstring muscles at the back of your thigh. It’s the most common muscle injury in sprinting and kicking sports. Most strains are partial and heal well with the right exercises.

Hamstrings get injured either at high speed (the muscle is decelerating your shin and lengthening under big force) or in a slow extreme stretch (a kick, a split, a slide). Rest and stretching won’t fix it. What works is progressively loading the muscle into LENGTH, mainly eccentrically. That’s what the Askling ‘L-protocol’ (Extender, Diver, Glider) does, and it returned athletes in about half the time of conventional treatment.

How it typically shows up

Sudden pain in the back of the thigh during high-speed running or a big stretch that forced you to stop, with localised muscle-belly tenderness and pain reproduced on a straight-leg raise, once a proximal avulsion off the sit-bone, nerve (sciatic) involvement, chronic proximal tendinopathy, groin/adductor strain, and back-referred pain are excluded.

How long recovery takes

Expect a step-by-step comeback over weeks: first calm it down and get it gently working, then strengthen it through a long, stretched-out range, then rebuild your running speed. You move to the next stage when you’re pain-free, not when the calendar says so.

The phased recovery approach

  1. Phase 1 · 1–2 weeks

    Calm

    Settle the hamstring down and get walking comfortable again before we start loading it. No aggressive stretching.

    What you get back: walking without the catch.

    • Graded Walking — 1 sets × 300–900s hold · Start with a short, easy walk on flat ground.
    • Supine March — 2 sets × 8–12 reps · Lie on your back with both knees bent and feet flat on the floor.
    • Isometric Hamstring Bridge Hold — 2–3 sets × 10–20s hold · Lie on your back with your knees bent and your heels planted on the floor.
    • Double-Leg Glute Bridge — 2–3 sets × 8–12 reps · Lie on your back with knees bent and feet flat.

  2. Phase 2 · 2–5 weeks

    Rebuild

    Build the hamstring back up by loading it through a long, stretched range, that is what makes it strong again.

    What you get back: a strong, trustworthy stride.

    • The Extender — 2–3 sets × 10–12 reps · Lie on your back and lift the injured leg, holding the back of that thigh with both hands.
    • The Diver — 3 sets × 4–6 reps · Stand on the injured leg with the standing knee bent 10 to 20 degrees.
    • The Glider — 3 sets × 4–6 reps · Stand on the injured leg with the knee bent about 10 to 20 degrees and your weight in that heel.
    • Prone Hamstring Curl — 3–4 sets × 12–15 reps · Lie face down.

  3. Phase 3 · 3–5 weeks

    Jog and mechanics

    Ease back into easy jogging and clean running form before you touch any real speed.

    What you get back: easy jogging with good mechanics.

    • The Glider — 2–3 sets × 4–6 reps · Stand on the injured leg with the knee bent about 10 to 20 degrees and your weight in that heel.
    • Prone Hamstring Curl — 2–3 sets × 4–6 reps · Lie face down.
    • Single-Leg Bridge — 2–3 sets × 4–6 reps · Lie on your back with one knee bent and that heel planted, the other leg lifted off the floor.
    • Bodyweight Hip Hinge — 2–3 sets × 8–10 reps · Stand tall with your feet hip-width apart and your knees soft.

  4. Phase 4 · 1–3 weeks

    Speed and strides

    Once easy jogging feels fine, add faster strides so speed comes back without a grab.

    What you get back: faster strides without a grab.

    • The Glider — 2–3 sets × 5–8 reps · Stand on the injured leg with the knee bent about 10 to 20 degrees and your weight in that heel.
    • Nordic Hamstring Lower — 2–3 sets × 5–8 reps · Kneel upright with your ankles anchored under a pad or held by a partner.
    • Prone Hamstring Curl — 2–3 sets × 5–8 reps · Lie face down.
    • Single-Leg Bridge — 2–3 sets × 8–12 reps · Lie on your back with one knee bent and that heel planted, the other leg lifted off the floor.

  5. Phase 5 · 2–6 weeks

    Back to fast running

    Once jogging and strides feel easy, build to full-speed running and spring so fast running feels normal again.

    What you get back: fast running again.

    • Nordic Hamstring Lower — 2–3 sets × 6–10 reps · Kneel upright with your ankles anchored under a pad or held by a partner.
    • The Glider — 2–3 sets × 6–10 reps · Stand on the injured leg with the knee bent about 10 to 20 degrees and your weight in that heel.
    • Prone Hamstring Curl — 2–3 sets × 6–10 reps · Lie face down.
    • Single-Leg Bridge — 2–3 sets × 8–12 reps · Lie on your back with one knee bent and that heel planted, the other leg lifted off the floor.

  6. Phase 6 · 1–3 weeks

    Back to daily life

    Lock in the strength that keeps walking, bending, and single-leg loading feeling easy for good.

    What you get back: walking, bending, and one-sided loads without the catch.

    • Graded Walking — 1 sets × 1200–1800s hold · Start with a short, easy walk on flat ground.
    • The Diver — 2–3 sets × 8–12 reps · Stand on the injured leg with the standing knee bent 10 to 20 degrees.
    • The Glider — 2–3 sets × 8–12 reps · Stand on the injured leg with the knee bent about 10 to 20 degrees and your weight in that heel.
    • Prone Hamstring Curl — 2–3 sets × 8–12 reps · Lie face down.

  7. Phase 7 · 3–7 weeks

    Back to the gym

    Rebuild the strength to deadlift and train legs heavy again without re-straining the hamstring.

    What you get back: deadlifting and lifting again.

    • Nordic Hamstring Lower — 3 sets × 6–10 reps · Kneel upright with your ankles anchored under a pad or held by a partner.
    • The Glider — 3 sets × 6–10 reps · Stand on the injured leg with the knee bent about 10 to 20 degrees and your weight in that heel.
    • Machine Hamstring Curl — 3 sets × 8–12 reps · Set the pad just above the heels.
    • Prone Hamstring Curl — 3 sets × 8–12 reps · Lie face down.

Exact exercises, sets and progression depend on your severity, equipment and goal — this is the shape of the program, not a one-size prescription.

What matters while you recover

  • Load it into length, don’t yank it

    Don’t hard-stretch a tight hamstring, that can disrupt the healing tissue. Load it into length instead, always stopping just before pain.

  • Keep it (almost) pain-free

    Keep it near pain-free, up to about 4/10, and don’t dull the pain before a session. A fresh strain is stricter than tendon soreness rules, so never push into real pain.

  • Where it hurts predicts your timeline

    Pain low in the muscle heals faster. Pain high near the sitting bone takes longer, so progress that one more patiently. Most respond well and steadily to loading.

Common questions

Should I stretch it hard to loosen it?
No. Aggressive stretching early can disrupt the healing scar. The Askling exercises load the muscle into length in a controlled way instead, always stopping just before pain.
How much pain is okay during the exercises?
Keep it essentially pain-free. That’s how the landmark protocol was run. A little discomfort up to about 4/10 that settles quickly is acceptable per newer evidence, but never push into real pain, and don’t dull the pain before a session, because it is what tells you the dose is right.
Why does where it hurts matter so much?
Pain right up at the sitting bone predicts a longer recovery, so progress long-length loading and running more patiently than you would for pain lower in the muscle.

Go deeper

Related thigh / hamstring conditions

Sources