Squatting, lunging, and running are part of many athletes’ daily lifestyles. Hamstring tendons are important for activities involving hip movements and knee flexion and cause limited mobility. Any overuse, repetitive stress, or sudden trauma can lead to discomfort near the attachment of the hamstring tendons to the pelvis. For many athletes and sports professionals, chronic proximal hamstring tendinopathy can affect training routines, competitive performance, and overall quality of life.
To treat minor hamstring injuries quickly, many patients would engage in stretching exercises to benefit from pain and relief. However, according to mayoclinic.org, excessive stretching can lead to compression or shearing of the hamstring tendons against the bone, which can cause further irritation. Therefore, it proves that remedies, such as stretching, can actually can in return cause more problems. However, shockwave therapy has emerged as a promising alternative for treating patients suffering from hamstring tendinopathy.
Research and Scientific Studies
A 2011 study published in the American Journal of Sports Medicine compared the effectiveness of shockwave therapy (SWT) to traditional conservative treatment (TCT) for chronic proximal hamstring tendinopathy (PTC). The research involved forty athletes diagnosed with chronic PHT and divided into two treatment groups: One receiving SWT and the other receiving TCT. The primary outcome was a reduction in pain intensity measured by Visual Analog Scale (VAS) scores and the Nirschl Phase Rating Scale (NPRS). Additionally, secondary endpoints such as patients’ self-reported improvement, recovery rates, and the ability to return to sports activity were also evaluated. The findings of the study highlighted the effectiveness of shockwave therapy in managing chronic PHT compared to TCT.
Another study, published in the National Library of Medicine in 2017, researched the effects of shockwave therapy in treating patients suffering from hamstring tightness. The results found that shockwave therapy and stretching together reduced hamstring tightness in healthy adults after 4 weeks.
Discover the Power of Shockwave
The above findings prove that shockwave therapy is a safe and effective treatment modality for chronic proximal hamstring tendinopathy. This is because patients undergoing shockwave therapy have a high rate of returning to pre-injury sports activity after a few sessions. Shockwave therapy is also a low-risk treatment and carries no side effects.
Try out shockwave therapy for hamstring tendinopathies for yourself. Shockwave Canada is an authorized distributor of Storz Medical shockwave therapy machines in Canada. This can add huge value to your clinic and get patients back to health sooner.
