Do you face persistent buttocks pain, upper thigh pain or pain while sitting? Is it getting aggravated while doing repetitive activities? Does the pain worsen due to prolonged sitting? It’s time to check whether you are having hamstring tendinopathy. This condition requires treatment, but that need not be surgical. Medica Stem Cells regenerative therapy in Ireland helps to avoid the invasive technique of surgery and can be your best alternative to treat hamstring tendinopathy.
Before knowing the importance of Medica stem cell therapy, let us know what hamstring tendon and hamstring tendinopathy are.
What is hamstring tendinopathy?
A hamstring is a group of four muscles that run along the back of our thighs. There is a tendon named proximal hamstring tendon that connects three hamstring muscles to the sit bone present in the buttocks. While doing repetitive activities, these tendons may get injured and lead to pain. If this pain stays for a longer duration due to an increased level of proximal hamstring tendinopathy, you will undergo disability then.
Hamstring tendinopathy may also happen when a person strains or pulls on one or more of the hamstring muscles. The hamstring muscles help to bend the leg at the knee.
A person is more likely to get this injury if he/she plays soccer, basketball, tennis, football or similar sports. Not only sports, but even the regular activities that involve sprinting with sudden stops and starts can also cause this injury. Hamstring tendinopathy is also seen among the sprinters and dancers.
Causes of hamstring tendinopathy
Direct injury to the hamstring tendon
Overstretching of muscles beyond their normal limits during any physical activity
Past tear in your hamstring tendon that does not heal properly
Degenerative changes in hamstring tendon
Risk factors
Hamstring tendinopathy is more common in middle-aged and older athletes.
People who have muscle imbalance problems and lack of flexibility are more prone to hamstring tendinopathy.
Symptoms of hamstring tendinopathy
Sudden and sharp pain in the back of the thigh during exercise, especially while bending at the hip.
Thigh and buttocks pain while walking or straightening the leg
Feeling of ‘popping’ or ‘tearing’ sensation
Tenderness or swelling usually develops in a brief time
If the hamstring muscles also get injured, the person may experience the following symptoms:
Bruising or discolouration along the back of the leg
Muscle weakness
Inability to put weight on the injured leg
Diagnosis of hamstring tendinopathy
There are several diagnostic methods to check if you are having hamstring tendinopathy:
Your physician may recommend physical examination to check for swelling and points of tenderness along the back of the thigh. The intensity and location of pain help the doctor to know the extent and nature of the damage.
The physician may move the injured leg to various positions to find out the injury spot and check if it is a tendon or ligament damage.
X-ray imaging can check for avulsion fractures.
Ultrasound and MRI can visualize tears in tendons and muscles.
Conventional treatment for hamstring tendinopathy
The primary aim of the treatment is to reduce pain and swelling. Hence, your physician may suggest the following modalities:
RICE (Rest, Ice therapy, Compression, and Elevation) formula
Use a pair of crutches or cane to avoid putting full weight on your injured leg.
Physical therapy to improve flexibility and to strengthen the hamstring muscles.
Administration of injections like corticosteroid injections and NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs). But prolonged administration of NSAIDs and steroid injections cause adverse systemic side effects. Moreover, steroid injections damage the adjacent normal tissues of the affected site and make them weak.
If no significant improvement is seen in your symptoms, then your physician may finally recommend surgery. But it will be having side-effects such as pain, infection, bleeding, nerve damage, etc. Moreover, patients experience risks associated with the use of general anaesthesia. They will undergo an extensive rehabilitation program after the surgery. However, there is often an overlooked alternative to treating Hamstring tendinopathy, and that is Regenerative therapy.
Regenerative cell therapy for hamstring tendinopathy
Though regenerative cells are already present in the human body, there arises a deficit as we age. Hence, our bodies will lose their regenerative power.
This is where our minimally invasive non-surgical regenerative cell treatment helps in repairing the damaged cartilage naturally and regenerating a newer one for better functioning. Regenerative therapies include the regenerative cell treatment and the platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy. Compared to surgery, regenerative treatment is risk-free. The cells for these therapies are extracted only from the patient’s own body. There are no risks, like rejection and allergy associated with regenerative cell therapy. You may be experiencing significant improvement within a few weeks after the treatment. Hence, regenerative therapy is the best alternative to surgery.
For more information about the regenerative cell treatment for hamstring tendinopathy condition, please feel free to refer to the website http://www.medicastemcells.com. At Medica Stem Cells, we use platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy, prolotherapy, mesenchymal cell therapy and other treatments. You can also learn more about the types of Medica Stem Cells therapy in Ireland by dialling 01 298 8000.
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