Dr. Srino Bharam is a board-certified fellowship-trained sports medicine orthopedic surgeon specializing in the treatment of athletic injuries of hamstring and leg for both teens and adults. Dr. Bharam is an expert in this field with over 30 years of experience in treating injuries and conditions of the leg and hamstring.
Athletic Injuries of the Hamstring & Thigh are common among adolescents and adults who play competitive sports like soccer, ice hockey, ballet, dance, lacrosse and football.
Most athletes experience pain, tenderness, swelling and weakness in their leg with this type of injury.
Common diagnoses can include:
- Proximal hamstring avulsion/tear
- Proximal hamstring tendinopathy
- Sciatic nerve entrapment
- Calcific trochanteric bursitis
- Trochanteric bursitis
- DGS
- Gluteus medius/minimus/maximus tears
- Gluteus medius/minimus/maximus tendinopathy
Treatment options:
Nonsurgical: Minor hamstring and thigh injuries respond well to nonsurgical treatments such as:
- RICE Protocol: This is an acronym that stands for Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation.
- Immobilization: A splint may be used to keep your leg in a neutral position to facilitate proper healing.
- Physical Therapy: After adequate healing, a physical therapy program may be recommended to gradually restore range of motion and strength.
Surgical: Depending on the location and severity of the injury, the various surgical options include:
- Hamstring avulsion repair
- Hamstring avulsion repair with sciatic nerve decompression
Terminology and Anatomy of the Hamstring and Leg
- Hamstring - The 3 groups of muscles that run along the back of the thigh. They are the semimembranosus, semitendinosus, and the biceps femoris muscles.
- Hip flexor - The muscles that lift the thigh towards the body.
- Hip Retraction - Posterior movement of the hip.
- Sciatic nerve - A nerve that extends from the lower part of the spinal cord into the thigh.
- Femur/thigh bone - The upper bone of the leg that forms the ball and socket joint with the pelvic bone.
- Greater trochanter - A bony prominence of the thigh bone on the outside of the hip.
- Lesser trochanter - A bony prominence at the back of the thigh bone located just below greater trochanter
- Gluteus minimus, gluteus maximus, gluteus medius - The three muscles that form the buttocks.
