High Hamstring Pain
Pain deep under the glute or upper hamstring, often worse with sitting, hills, or longer running.
Upper hamstring, deep under the glute
Proximal Hamstring Tendinopathy
Sometimes, if symptoms stay manageable and do not worsen afterwards
Usually 6 to 12 weeks, sometimes longer for stubborn tendon cases
Often linked to increased running load, hills, speed work, or prolonged sitting
Can I Keep Running?
Some runners can continue modified running if symptoms stay manageable and the tendon is not significantly worse afterwards. If pain becomes sharper, more reactive, or starts affecting walking, sitting, or daily movement more consistently, it usually means the tendon is not coping with the current load.
Typical Recovery Timeline
High hamstring tendon pain often takes 6 to 12 weeks or more to improve properly. Long standing tendon irritation can take several months to fully rebuild, especially if the tendon has been repeatedly aggravated before treatment starts.
What's Actually Going On?
Proximal Hamstring Tendinopathy is irritation of the hamstring tendon where it attaches high up near the sitting bone.
In runners, this tendon often becomes overloaded through repeated pulling and compression, especially during hills, speed work, or longer stride patterns.
Rather than being one sudden injury, this is usually a tendon that has gradually become more reactive and less tolerant of load over time.
Common Symptoms
Can You Still Run With It?
Sometimes, yes, but only if symptoms stay controlled and the tendon is not becoming progressively more irritated.
Easy flat running is usually tolerated better than hills, speed sessions, or longer harder efforts.
If sitting becomes increasingly painful or the tendon starts reacting more aggressively after running, it usually means the load needs to be reduced more clearly.
Things That Often Need Adjusting:
Does This Sound Like You?
- You feel pain deep under the glute when running
- Sitting for long periods becomes uncomfortable
- Hills or speed work flare it up quickly
- The upper hamstring feels tight or irritated afterwards
- The pain feels stubborn and slow to settle
- Stretching the hamstring aggressively often makes it angrier
Why Do Runners Get This?
This usually happens when the upper hamstring tendon is repeatedly overloaded.
Often the tendon has been overloaded for quite a while before symptoms become impossible to ignore.
Worth Getting Assessed If:
- •sitting is becoming consistently painful
- •symptoms keep returning
- •the tendon is not improving with load changes
- •running quality is starting to change
- •you are struggling to rebuild training normally
Get Help Sooner If You Have:
- sudden sharp pain
- bruising
- major weakness
- pain that rapidly worsens
- difficulty walking normally
- Tendons high up in the hamstring often become stubborn when runners keep trying to stretch aggressively or run through increasing pain.
A Note From Liesel
“A lot of runners treat this like “just a tight hamstring” for months before realising it is something more stubborn. They stretch it harder, massage it more aggressively, and keep trying to run normally while the tendon keeps reacting. Usually, the runners who improve best are the ones who stop fighting the tendon and start rebuilding it properly, with patience and consistent strength work.”
Stop Guessing. Start Moving Forward.
Get a clear clinical diagnosis and a personalised return-to-running plan with Liesel (In-person in Pretoria East or Online via Google Meet).
Book a Consultation