The U.S. Men’s National Soccer Team forward Jozy Altidore suffered a left hamstring strain in USA’s 2-0 victory against Jamaica on June 19, leaving him on the sideline for the next 4-6 weeks. This injury can cause problems for the U.S. due to specific CONCACAF Gold Cup Tournament rules prohibiting replacing a player on the roster during competition.
After-Hamstring-Injury.aspxA hamstring strain is caused by a tear in one or many of the upper leg muscles. There are three different grades of strains, which also come with their own pain levels. The first consists of minor tears in muscle, the second is a partial tear, and the third is a full rupture or rigorous tear in the muscle. There are many ways to treat this type of strain including active release technique, a patented soft tissue manual therapy technique which re-aligns the muscle fibers, stretching, and functional exercises. A physical therapist can also provide one with stretches and exercises to prevent a pulled muscle.
Here’s a short video on how to properly stretch your hamstrings to help prevent injury:
http://www.excelphysicaltherapy.com/videos/v/active-hamstring-stretch
Active Release Technique (ART) is a patented manual therapy technique used for strains, which is explained in the following link:
http://www.excelphysicaltherapy.com/videos/v/active-release-technique
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