Print OverviewA hamstring injury involves straining or pulling one of the hamstring muscles — the group of three muscles that run along the back of the thigh. Hamstring injuries often occur in people who play sports that involves sprinting with sudden stops and starts. Examples include soccer, basketball, football and tennis. Hamstring injuries can occur in runners and in dancers as well. Self-care measures such as rest, ice and pain medicine are often all that's needed to relieve the pain and swelling of a hamstring injury. Rarely, surgery is done to repair a hamstring muscle or tendon.Products & ServicesA Book: Mayo Clinic Family Health BookAssortment of Health Products from Mayo Clinic StoreNewsletter: Mayo Clinic Health Letter — Digital EditionShow more products from Mayo Clinic SymptomsA hamstring injury typically causes a sudden, sharp pain in the back of the thigh. There might also be a "popping" or tearing sensation. Swelling and tenderness usually develop within a few hours. There might be bruising or a change in skin color along the back of the leg. Some people have muscle weakness or are not able to put weight on the injured leg. When to see a doctorMild hamstring strains can be treated at home. But see a health care provider if you can't bear weight on the injured leg or if you can't walk more than four steps without a lot of pain. Request an appointment There is a problem with information submitted for this request. Review/update the information highlighted below and resubmit the form. From Mayo Clinic to your inbox Sign up for free and stay up to date on research advancements, health tips, current health topics, and expertise on managing health. Click here for an email preview. Email Address 1 ErrorEmail field is required ErrorInclude a valid email address Learn more about Mayo Clinic’s use of data. To provide you with the most relevant and helpful information, and understand which information is beneficial, we may combine your email and website usage information with other information we have about you. If you are a Mayo Clinic patient, this could include protected health information. If we combine this information with your protected health information, we will treat all of that information as protected health information and will only use or disclose that information as set forth in our notice of privacy practices. You may opt-out of email communications at any time by clicking on the unsubscribe link in the e-mail. Subscribe! Thank you for subscribing! You'll soon start receiving the latest Mayo Clinic health information you requested in your inbox. Sorry something went wrong with your subscription Please, try again in a couple of minutes Retry CausesThe hamstring muscles are a group of three muscles that run along the back of the thigh from the hip to just below the knee. These muscles make it possible to extend the leg back and to bend the knee. Stretching or overloading any one of these muscles beyond its limit can cause injury. Risk factorsHamstring injury risk factors include: Sports. Sports that require sprinting or running might make a hamstring injury more likely. So might other activities that can require extreme stretching, such as dancing. Earlier hamstring injury. People who have had one hamstring injury are more likely to have another one. This is especially true for people who try to go back to the same activities before the muscles have time to heal. Tired muscles, weak muscles and muscles that don't stretch well. Tired or weak muscles are more likely to be injured. Muscles with poor flexibility might not be able to bear the force of the action that certain activities require. Muscle imbalance. Although not all experts agree, some suggest that a muscle imbalance may lead to a hamstring injury. If the quadricep muscles along the front of the thigh are stronger and more developed than the hamstring muscles, injury to the hamstring muscles might be more likely. Age. Risk of injury increases with age. ComplicationsReturning to tiring activities before hamstring muscles are completely healed might cause the injury to happen again. PreventionBeing in good physical condition and doing regular stretching and strengthening exercises can help lessen the risk of a hamstring injury. Try to be in shape to play your sport. Don't play your sport to get in shape. If you have a job that's physically demanding, staying in shape can help prevent injuries. Ask your health care provider about good exercises to do regularly. By Mayo Clinic Staff Request an appointment Diagnosis & treatment Dec. 09, 2022 Print Show references Miller M, et al. Hamstring injuries. In: DeLee, Drez, and Miller's Orthopaedic Sports Medicine: Principles and Practice. 5th ed. Elsevier; 2020. http://www.clinicalkey.com. Accessed Oct. 14, 2022. Fields KB, et al. Hamstring muscle and tendon injuries. https://www.uptodate.com/contents/search. Accessed Oct. 14, 2022. Hamstring muscle injuries. American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. https://orthoinfo.aaos.org/en/diseases--conditions/hamstring-muscle-injuries. Accessed Oct. 14, 2022. Silvers-Granelli HJ, et al. Hamstring muscle injury in the athlete: State of the art. Journal of ISAKOS. 2021; doi:10.1136/jisakos-2017-000145. Related Hamstring stretch Associated Procedures MRI Ultrasound X-ray Products & Services A Book: Mayo Clinic Family Health Book Assortment of Health Products from Mayo Clinic Store Newsletter: Mayo Clinic Health Letter — Digital Edition Show more products and services from Mayo Clinic Hamstring injurySymptoms&causesDiagnosis&treatmentDoctors&departments Advertisement Mayo Clinic does not endorse companies or products. Advertising revenue supports our not-for-profit mission. 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There is a problem with information submitted for this request. Review/update the information highlighted below and resubmit the form. From Mayo Clinic to your inbox Sign up for free and stay up to date on research advancements, health tips, current health topics, and expertise on managing health. Click here for an email preview. Email Address 1 ErrorEmail field is required ErrorInclude a valid email address Learn more about Mayo Clinic’s use of data. To provide you with the most relevant and helpful information, and understand which information is beneficial, we may combine your email and website usage information with other information we have about you. If you are a Mayo Clinic patient, this could include protected health information. If we combine this information with your protected health information, we will treat all of that information as protected health information and will only use or disclose that information as set forth in our notice of privacy practices. You may opt-out of email communications at any time by clicking on the unsubscribe link in the e-mail. Subscribe! Thank you for subscribing! You'll soon start receiving the latest Mayo Clinic health information you requested in your inbox. Sorry something went wrong with your subscription Please, try again in a couple of minutes Retry