When the largest muscle’s (thigh muscle) tendons tear, the injury that occurs is called hamstring injury. There are different grades of this injury, grade 1, 2 and 3. With higher grade, the injury’s severity increases. Grade 1 is when there is a mild muscle pull or strain, grade 2 is when there is a partial muscle tear and 3 when there is a complete muscle. It takes few days to recover from a hamstring injury if it is a grade 1 injury. And the recovery time increases with the level of injury. This is a common injury in athletes, especially runners.

Here are some exercises that can be useful for treating hamstring injuries:

Standing stretching exercise:
Put the heel of the injured leg on a height of 15 inches and keep your knee unbent. Now slowly lean forward using only your upper body by bending from your hip joints. While bending, keep your back straight else your back will feel the stretches that your thighs are supposed to feel. Hold each bend for 15-20 seconds and do 3 sets. Be careful while performing each and every exercise as you cannot get hurt while exercising as that will make the situation worse.

Wall stretch exercise:
Lie on the floor close to the doorway. Lie in a way that your body from the hips is outside the room and from above the waist is inside the room. Now gradually raise the injured leg and rest it against the wall on the door frame. Try to keep your leg as straight as possible but also make sure you do not strain the muscles. Take someone’s help if needed. This is one of the most effective exercises for treating hamstring injuries.

Slump stretch exercise:
Sit on a chair. You can slough or bend your neck. Hold the seat with your hands and raise/stretch your affected leg towards you without bending. Hold the raised leg in that position for 30 seconds and repeat twice every day.

Prone knee bend exercise:
Another exercise for treating hamstring injuries can be done by lying on your stomach and bending the knee so that the heel touches your buttocks. Hold the position for 5 seconds and bring your foot back to the floor. Repeat this exercise 15 times.

There are more exercises for treating hamstring injuries including lunges. These exercises are easy to perform but it is advised to take someone’s help since you have a pulled hamstring condition.