Pulled Hamstring

A sudden sharp or grabbing pain in the back of the thigh, often during sprinting, hills, or faster running.

AT A GLANCE

Pain Area

Back of the thigh

Medical Name

Hamstring Muscle Strain

Can you Run?

Usually not in the early stage, especially if walking or push off is painful

Typical Recovery

Usually 2 to 8 weeks, depending on the severity of the strain

Common Onset

Often happens suddenly during sprinting, acceleration, hills, or overstretching the hamstring

Can I keep running?

Running is usually not appropriate early on, especially if the hamstring is painful with walking, bending, or push off.

Trying to run through a fresh hamstring strain often keeps pulling the muscle back into the same injury cycle before it has rebuilt properly.

Typical recovery timeline

Milder strains may improve within 2 to 4 weeks, while more significant strains often take 6 to 8 weeks or longer to rebuild fully.

The hamstring often starts feeling better before it is actually ready for sprinting, hills, or harder running again.

COMMON SYMPTOMS

A sudden sharp or pulling pain in the back of the thigh
Pain with:
- sprinting
- acceleration
- hills
- push off
Tightness or weakness through the hamstring
Pain when bending forward or stretching
Difficulty with faster running
Sometimes bruising or swelling in more significant strains

WHAT’S ACTUALLY GOING ON?

A pulled hamstring happens when the hamstring muscle is overloaded beyond what it can tolerate.

In runners, this commonly happens during faster running or powerful push off, when the hamstring is working hard to control and generate force.

Sometimes it happens suddenly in one moment, while other times the hamstring has already been overloaded and fatigued before it finally reacts.

CAN YOU STILL RUN WITH IT?

Usually not at first. If walking, bending, or pushing off is painful, the hamstring is not ready for running yet. Once normal walking, bodyweight loading, and controlled hamstring exercises feel comfortable again, a gradual return to running can begin, usually starting with easy flat running before speed or hills. Things that often need adjusting:

01.

Weekly mileage

02.

Speed work

03.

Hills

04.

Long Runs

05.

Running Frequency

COMMON QUESTIONS

Does this sound like you?

This may sound familiar if:

You felt a sudden grab or sharp pain in the back of the thigh
Sprinting or faster running triggered it
The hamstring feels tight, weak, or vulnerable afterwards
Stretching feels uncomfortable
The leg feels less powerful or trustworthy
The area tightens up quickly when trying to run again

A common clue is that the hamstring often feels protective and hesitant, even after the sharp pain settles.

WHY DO RUNNERS GET THIS?

This usually happens when the hamstring is asked to generate more force than it is ready for.

Common reasons include:

sprinting or faster running
hill running
fatigue
sudden increases in training intensity
returning too quickly after previous injury
reduced hamstring or glute strength

In many runners, the muscle was already overloaded before the strain finally happened.

When should you get help?

It’s worth getting help if:

walking is still painful after a few days
the hamstring keeps tightening up again
you cannot run comfortably
strength is not returning normally
symptoms are not steadily improving

Get help sooner if you have:

major bruising
significant weakness
a popping sensation
difficulty weight-bearing
severe pain that worsens quickly

Hamstrings are very easy to re aggravate if runners return to speed work too quickly.

HOW TO TREAT PULLED HAMSTRING

Have a look at Liesel's rehab plan to help improve your injury.

A lot of runners panic when they pull a hamstring because it suddenly feels dramatic and limiting. Then, as soon as it calms down slightly, they test it too early and end up right back at the start again. Usually, the runners who recover best are the ones who respect the healing process properly and rebuild strength before chasing speed too soon.

A note from Liesel