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My last hamstring email flooded my inbox, Facebook, and Twitter pages with responses.

So let me get right into it and tell you how I fixed my hamstrings (yes, I ended up pulling the left
one too).

** Ice: This is helpful the first few days only. After that, I find it totally pointless. Alternating ice/heat is meant to increase circulation, but most of these routines are prescribed by doctors who feel like they need to have some advice for their patients who, for the most part, don't actually move except to grab some bonbons from the freezer on commercial breaks.

So yeah, ice it good and cold the first few days, but after that, lose the ice.

** Don't Stop Stretching: Everyone I talked to, including yoga teachers, told me to stop practicing
until it healed. There were two fundamental problems with this.

* (a) By that time, I was totally hooked on yoga and hated missing even one day of practice.

* (b) While resting did help it heal, as soon as I'd do anything, my hammys would flare up just like before.

Don't get me wrong here. If you absolutely quit doing anything and "lay flat" for 2 months, your hamstring will heal. It'll heal fast and hard and tight, but as soon as soon as you try to use it again, it's going to hurt.

** Forget Massages: I know I'll get hate mail for saying this, but I've pulled a bunch of muscles (being stupid mostly)and massages never helped. They'll talk to you about "breaking up the scar tissue" and "balancing the energy," but honestly, digging your thumbs into a bruised hamstring proved counter-productive for me.

** No Hot Yoga: The heat along with stretching can make even the most bruised tissues feel strong and limber. It's a weird thing, but if you pull your hamstring, stay out of the heat for at least 2-4 weeks. You won't know your limits, and you'll wake up in a serious world of hurt.

** No Jogging: Jogging is pretty tough on a bruised hamstring, so don't do it. Walking is good though.

** Cycle and Swim: Both cycling and swimming are great for gently strengthening your hamstrings, and you want to start this within a week of injury. On a bike, just cruise around (nothing hard-core). In the pool, get a kick board and do laps. That up/down motion is great on the backs of the legs.

** Forget the “Experts”: People go to doctors looking for quick fixes and cures, not prevention or long-term health plans. It's as much our fault as it is theirs, but just remember that no ultrasound machine or
sports therapy session even comes close to a very conscious yoga practice (at least from what I've seen).

** Power Your Quads: Your quads (fronts of legs) are the opposing muscles to the hamstrings, so you want to engage them as hard as you can every time you're folding forward. Sometimes, it can be helpful to literally grab your quads and squeeze them tight to feel the strength balancing out the weakness.

** Bend Your Knees: With a slightly bent knee, your quads automatically engage a little, thus protecting your hamstring. Micro-bend your knees in all your forward bends (even if your teacher yells at you :)

** Healing Time: It all depends on how bad it is. A small strain might heal in 1-3 weeks, a pull could take 2-3 months, and a true tear usually will take 6-18 months to fully heal.

Sounds depressing, I know, but if you follow the routine above, after about 4-6 weeks, you can do everything you did before, you'll just "feel" your hamstring and will have to back off to make sure you don't go backwards with your healing.

** Supplements and Medicine: People do get steroid shots and things, but I wouldn't go that route. As soon as you can, get off all painkillers as well. Supplements were really helpful for me. Here's what I used:

* Pineapple (one whole one per day) – Very high in the enzyme bromelain, which helps inflammation and tissue regeneration.

* MSM -2000-3000 mg/day (same dosage as in Yogabody). Be careful, as crappy brands will give you terrible gas and bloating. In my formula, we cut it with Vitamin C and Greens for maximum effect.

* Vitamin C – 500 mg buffered so it's easier to digest.

* Green Juice – Just cause it's always good ;)

* Sprouted Rice Protein - This one is new to me, and very helpful. Difficult to find, but 15-30 grams per day is great. I'm creating a special yoga protein formula in about 4 weeks, so I'll give you more info then.

Yoga, like any kind of physical practice, is going to open you up to injuries. The truth is, injuries are
really rare, and as long as you take care of yourself, they often end up helping your body to balance itself out in the long run.

That's a whole other discussion we can get into later.

Stay bendy,

Lucas

P.S. Let me know how you fixed your hamstring. I'm always curious to learn new tricks.

P.P.S. Seriously, say no to Advil.
YOGABODY NATURALS