Date of Award

2023

Document Type

Thesis

Department

Physical Therapy

First Advisor

Meridee Danks

Keywords

Hamstring, Muscle strains, Physical Therapy, Athlete

Abstract

Background and Purpose: Hamstring injuries are the most common muscle strains in competitive sports. Insufficient rehabilitation may be attributed to a high occurrence of recurrent hamstring injuries in athletes. This case study evaluates the effectiveness of physical therapy following a Grade 2 right hamstring injury and discusses the outcomes experienced by the patient.

Case Description: The patient was a 51-year-old Caucasian female athlete who received 6 outpatient physical therapy treatments. She presented with a Grade 2 right hamstring injury after hearing a pop while competing in a tennis tournament.

Interventions: The therapy provided emphasized the use of a conservative approach with functional exercises including eccentric hamstring loading. The exercises were used in conjunction with FIFA 11+ with dynamic activities to assist the patient to return to sport at the same level of performance she had prior to the injury.

Outcomes: Over the course of treatment, the patient was able to increase her functional ability with squatting, bending, running, hiking, sitting, and tennis while decreasing her pain.

Discussion: The patient responded favorably to treatment and her goals in her plan of care were met. However, more research must be done on the assessment, rehabilitation, and education of female tennis players with hamstring injuries.

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