The term proximal hamstring tendinopathy (PHT) is used to describe an overuse injury that involves pain at the attachment of the hamstring tendons to the ischial tuberosity (i.e. – your “butt bone,” the bone you sit on). Other names for this injury are: ‘Hamstring Syndrome’, ‘Ischiatic Intersection Syndrome’, ‘Hamstring Enthesopathy‘, ‘High Hamstring Tendinopathy’ and ‘Hamstring Origin Tendinopathy’.
The main symptom of PHT is an ill-defined pain during sports or exercise activities in the area of the lower buttock (ischial tuberosity) and posterior thigh. The pain may reach a severity that may “shut down” the ability to run, jump, or engage in sports activities… but not significantly impact activities of daily living, resulting in a very frustrating situation for the highly motivated athlete or exerciser.
PHT is caused by failed or otherwise abnormal healing in response to repetitive stretching and mechanical overload of the tendons that anchor the hamstring muscles to the ischial tuberosity. At minimum, this involves inflammation of the hamstring tendons which may progress to varying degrees of tendon degeneration. In more advanced and prolonged cases, the overloaded tendon(s) may may even pull a small piece of bone away from the ischial tuberosity. The continued inflammation and mechanical stress on the tendon may also create an infiltration of fibrotic adhesions or “scar tissue” around the sciatic nerve, resulting in yet another mechanism of pain.
We have an ‘answer’ for many suffering with Proximal Hamstring Tendinopathy
Our office offers, for many, a distinctly successful protocol for PHT. It is certainly important to address this condition as soon as possible. In the acute or early stages of this condition, we have observed positive results in as few as 3-5 treatment sessions. Our treatment protocols do address the significant muscular/mechanical factors that cause this condition to be problematic.
For those that delay (or do not fully pursue specific treatment/management to an optimum extent) and allow this condition to become chronic, one should expect ongoing symptoms that will continue for months or years. This is not, in the chronic state, a condition that will be fundamentally resolved by a few weeks of anti-inflammatory medications or rest, particularly if degenerative changes in the tendon have taken root.
However, even in cases of chronic pain and tendinosis, this is still a condition in which good outcomes can be attained if , and only if, the patient is willing to dedicate him/herself to weeks of specific soft-tissue mobilization and stretching treatments coupled with weeks of a very specific and unique rehabilitative exercise protocol.
To our knowledge, our office is one of the very few facilities in our geographic area that offers the ‘state of the Art’ soft-tissue treatment protocol, as well as the specialized exercise equipment and assistance devices to deliver the progressive eccentric hamstring exercises now considered necessary to optimally rehabilitate this sports injury/condition.
We invite those who are suffering with this injury to arrange a consultation with us to determine if our protocols might be right for you.
We are a Sports Chiropractic and Rehabilitation facility located in Walnut Creek, CA. Feel free to contact us with your questions or concerns at (925) 945-1155 or request an appointment.
