Hamstring Surgery and Post-Operative Rehabilitation

Do You Need Hamstring Surgery?

Not every hamstring tendon or muscle injury requires surgery.

It is generally understood by doctors and surgeons, that surgery will introduce more scar tissue into the hamstring muscles/tendons. This added scar tissue will be problematic, requiring visits to a physical therapist (PT) and conservative treatment options post-surgery. If not dealt with properly, your hamstring could end up in worse condition than before the surgery! This is why surgery is only performed as a last resort for chronic conditions or severe tears.

Leg anatomy and the hamstring muscles, biceps femoris, semitendinosus, semimembranosus.

Hamstring surgery is generally not considered until all conservative treatment options have been exhausted... or there is an infection or complete tear in one or more of the hamstring muscles. Unless it is a highly severe or a complete tear, doctors, orthopedic specialists and physios will advise that you try at least 6 or more months of conservative treatment with no sign of improvement before surgery will even be considered.

When used as directed, it is our opinion that the TShellz Wrap® will give you the best chances of helping recover from a hamstring strain, hamstring spasm, a hamstring tendon injury or other soft tissue injury at home without the need for surgery.

Conservative Therapies Often Considered to Reduce Risk of Surgery

Some conservative treatment options include:

  • Rest - This is important for initial healing; rest and elevation will help reduce pain, swelling and inflammation in the early stages of injury. This can be difficult when you have to carry on with daily activities, but resting and elevating your foot whenever you can is recommended. During your recovery you will probably have to modify or avoid the activities that put stress on your Calf & lower leg until your pain and inflammation settles. Without an appropriate amount of rest you are at risk for increased swelling, pain and further injury of the hamstring muscles and tendons. However, too much rest can also be harmful as joint immobility can actually cause stiffening, overcompensation and atrophy (shortening & wasting away of soft tissue). This is why rest should be used when reducing initial pain and swelling, but should not be considered for more long-term conservative treatment.
  • Avoid Activities that Caused Your Hamstring Injury - While resting your leg, it's important to avoid activities that may have caused your symptoms, including any repetitive leg or knee movement. This may include reduced activities in your job if that has caused your hamstring injury. Continuing on with regular activities can increase the severity of your injury, turning a mild to moderate case of muscle strain/spasm into serious damage, leading to a greater need for surgery. Continuing on with regular activities will not only make your injury worse, but trying to 'work around' your injury will eventually give rise to over-compensation injuries in other areas of your body.
  • Use a Cold Compress or Ice Pack - Cold is very effective at reducing pain and inflammation - use at the onset of the injury and during flareups.
  • Use a TShellz Wrap® Once The Swelling is Down - You can use your own blood flow to maximize your rehabilitation, maintain healthy blood flow to your soft tissue, decrease recovery time, and reduce re-injury risk. Promoting blood flow and heat to the treatment area will help to minimize the growth of scar tissue, increase flexibility and help prevent atrophy. This is why we recommend TShellz Wrap before undergoing activity - an increase in flexibility should help reduce risk of further injury while also assisting in the battle against atrophy. Heat via the TShellz Wrap® is especially helpful in dealing with chronic tendon & muscle injuries or on-going pain and stiffness from a strained hamstring.
  • Avoid Over Compensating for your Injury on your "'Healthy' (Non-Injured) Side - Many people will start limping or carrying objects with their opposite arm to compensate for their tendon injury. Our bodies can adapt easily to any changes, including a tendonitis injury. This quick adaptation could mean that you're already compensating for your injury without even knowing it!

    When you compensate for your injury by using your opposite ('healthy') arm, leg, shoulder, knee, foot, etc. - then you are putting more weight and pressure on that side of your body. In many cases, your dominant side was injured (if you're right-handed this would be your right side) so your weaker side is trying to pick up the slack! The pain, stiffness, swelling and inflammation you then get on your 'healthy' side is something referred to as 'over-compensation pain'. Over-compensating for your injury can lead to other injuries and so that's why over compensation should be avoided at all costs OR treated with the same conservative treatment methods as your tendon injury.
  • Rehabilitative Stretching under supervision of a PT or doctor. The intent of this is to provide you with increased range of motion, pain relief and strengthening of the surrounding tissue of the joint. Doctors or surgeons typically won't perform a surgery until they feel that their patient has put effort into treating their injury with conservative treatment methods. This may include up to 4 to 6 months of visits to a PT clinic. If you haven't experienced any improvement in your condition during that time then surgery may be considered.
  • Stretching - Stretching your joint in PT and at home will help you to regain your range of motion much faster than not stretching at all. Stretching in many ways is key maintaining good Range of Motion (ROM) in your joint, and stretching can be made much easier with use of a TShellz Wrap® before to warm up soft tissue, and a Cold Compress or Ice Pack treatment after to prevent any return of swelling and inflammation.




Restricted Movement Is Risky If It Goes On For Too Long

For acute (new or recent) Achilles tendon tears that have the ability to heal on their own - your doctor may even cast your foot in a toe pointed position (in something called a "hanging enquinus cast") or in a removable brace/splint. A removable splint can be very helpful to prepare you for PT sessions and mobility exercises.

Prolonged use of a cast, removable splint, or long-term rest (restricted movement) without proper exercise or stretching can make your Achilles tendon injury worse. If your Achilles tendon remains completely immobilized and at constant rest, the ends of the Achilles tendon (where it attaches to bone or other muscles) will begin to fill in with scar tissue as part of the healing process. You may also have on-going symptoms of pain, swelling and inflammation, and even poor blood flow circulation.

Resting too long, or using bracing to restrict movement for extended periods of time, can decrease mobility of your Achilles tendon and increase pain

Lack of proper blood flow and growth of scar tissue will decrease the natural length of the tendon (atrophy) and tighten tissue, reducing the flexibility between your ankle and foot. Your ability to push off with your foot in certain activities such as running, jumping, or going up and down stairs all become compromised. You are also at an increased risk of re-rupture of the tendon, especially if the initial injury was large and required surgery in the first place. In summary, resting/casting/splinting of a compromised/injured tendon is good if done properly, but it is important to not rest it for too long as this will cause more issues related to atrophy.

If you are not at the surgery stage and your physician has opted to treat your injury with conservative treatment options, then you will find that many of our customers have had great success treating themselves with the powerful conservative treatment products such as the Leg TShellz Wrap®. When used as directed, it is our opinion that the TShellz Wrap®, when combined with an overall conservative treatment plan, will give you the best chances of healing your hamstring strain, hamstring spasms or related tendonitis or other soft tissue injury at home without the need for surgery. If surgical intervention is required, you will be put on a post-surgery recovery plan by your surgeon or physician. We feel the TShellz Wrap® also plays a valuable role in post surgery recovery, but do not use them for at least 6 weeks after surgery, and only on approval from your physician or surgeon. (Basically do not use heat based treatments until the wound has healed, swelling has dropped and you have recovered enough to have been assigned a home stretching plan). The TShellz Wraps®, when used at this time should be quite effective at enhancing range of motion and minimizing scar tissue growth (which is a substantial problem in nearly any case of surgery).



If Hamstring Surgery is Required...

If all conservative treatment methods have been explored and your symptoms (pain as well as limited use for daily activities) persists, then you will be considered a candidate for surgery. You and your doctor may decide to move forward and have you undergo surgery, which will trigger the next chapter of your hamstring recovery journey. Your post surgery rehabilitation efforts will have an important impact on how soon you can return to living and enjoying your normal daily life.

The surgery that is selected for your injury will depend on the level of your pain and the amount of damage your doctor suspects there may be to your hamstring muscle(s). Much of this damage will be determined through the use of physical exams, x-rays and MRI results. The longer you have waited to have surgery will also be a factor that determines what type of surgery is needed.

With acute (recent) tearing the separation in your muscle or tendon is likely to be very minimal. If you have an acute tear you may qualify for less invasive surgery (such as a arthroscopic, open surgery or an mini-open procedure). Surgeons will always choose a shorter, less invasive procedure if it's possible to do so. Most surgeons know that a less complicated procedure will have less trauma to the hamstring and a much quicker rate of recovery after the surgery.

If you're suffering from an acute hamstring injury and surgery is needed, your surgeon will have you wait up to 72 hours before they'll do the repair to the hamstring muscle tissue. This gives your body time for the injury to settle down.

hamstring muscle tear may need surgery to repair the damage

If you're in pain why do they make you wait before they repair your hamstring injury?

Your body will send a large amount of blood via inflammation to the tissue where the damage is located to start the healing process. Hamstring tissue is very soft and squishy to begin with; damage or injury of any kind only further weakens the muscle(s). The increased blood flow makes the hamstring muscle tissue even softer, almost like Jello. During the first few days of injury, the surgeon will have a difficult time sewing your 'jello-like' tissue back together. If the surgeon even tried to do this it's likely that you'd end-up needing more surgery as the procedure to fix your hamstring muscle won't hold.

If you've suffered a complete rupture of your hamstring muscle it's important to have the tissue reattached. If not the hamstring muscle(s) will shrink and you may lose strength, or in some cases, experience a decrease in your range of motion. Your doctor will advise you to treat your injury with cold compression for at least 48 to 72 hrs after the injury to allow the inflammation to be reduced. This must be done before any other treatment or surgery can happen.

One week after your hamstring has ruptured the tissue may begin to travel away from the bone and / or separate from the remaining muscle/tendon. The ends of the tissue begin to fill in with scar tissue as part of the healing process. This added scar tissue decreases the natural strength of the tissue and will most likely negatively affect your ability to do normal activities.

Muscles begin to atrophy (waste away) only after a few days of disuse. As time passes the muscle fibers shrink and the muscle loses strength and the "tissues" begin to die inside the muscle. (source: Amercian Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons)

If scar tissue is present then a more complicated procedure may be needed to clean out the presence of any scar tissue for optimal healing after the surgery. The tissue that has ruptured may need to be retrieved from inside your other tissue back to the original attachment point. Your surgeon may make a larger incision into your skin so they're able to retrieve this tissue.

An injury that's 4 to 6 weeks old is considered a chronic rupture. When you have a chronic hamstring muscle rupture the tear continues to separate further. A chronic rupture requires a difficult, drastic surgery - often times there may be a transfer of tissue needed to complete the surgery and a lengthy recovery period.


For most soft tissue injuries, arthroscopic surgery is the preferred procedure as it is minimally invasive and patients usually recover at a much faster rate. This type of surgery will provide the surgeon with first hand insight into the nature of the injury and possibly limit the amount of soft tissue damage from surgery, helping promote a more effective recovery.

Some cases however, will require open surgery as the scope of arthroscopic surgery is limited in comparison to full exposure of the hamstring in open surgery. If you undergo an open surgery for your hamstring, you should anticipate a much longer time for rehabilitation efforts.

As with any surgery there are risks to every procedure depending on a lot of factors, including your age, the severity of your injury and your level of health going into the procedure. It's always best to discuss all possible risks and complications with your doctor before the procedure. It's important to be aware of the risks you may face with any procedure intended to fix or relieve pain from your hamstring injury.


How Long Will It Take To Recover From Hamstring Surgery?

Rehabilitation for a proximal hamstring reattachment typically takes at least 6 months, due to the severity of the injury. Distal hamstring reattachments require approximately 3 months of rehabilitation before returning to athletic activities. Your doctor will tell you when it is safe to return to sports.


If you have questions, Click Here to call our office at 1-866-237-9608 (toll free continental US).



Getting Started with Your Post-Operative Rehabilitation

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After your surgery is done, you will probably receive a tailored rehabilitation plan directly from your surgeon or PT. This rehabilitation plan will combine rest, exercise, and conservative treatments, to aid in your recovery. All rehabilitation efforts will be explored under the guidance of a doctor or PT, but you will also be expected to continue your exercise, stretching and treatment at home. The success of your rehabilitation will depend on a variety of factors including (but not limited to):

  • your age, overall health and activity level
  • the state of your injury before surgery (severe injuries like a tendon rupture, open wound, bone damage or fracture will require more intense surgery)
  • the type of surgery you have undergone
  • how soon you must return to normal activity

No two rehabilitation plans are alike - The less invasive your surgery is,
the quicker your road to recovery will be.

The goal of a rehabilitation plan is to manage pain and swelling while improving function, strength, and range of motion. Ultimately, you will regain strength in your leg and hamstring to be able to walk normally and return to full activity. You will most likely spend a lot of time with a physical therapist (PT) after your surgery, but as your healing progresses, emphasis will be placed on your personal at home treatment. The success of your rehabilitation will depend on your dedication to working with your doctor and PT while also managing your recovery on a daily basis at home.

Regardless of what type of surgery you've had (or even if you don't need surgery) your home treatment routine can be improved by controlling initial and on-going pain/swelling, and increasing blood flow to accelerate the body's ability to heal your muscles/tendons so that you can achieve long-term, positive results. This can easily be done by incorporating a Cold Compress or Ice Pack and a Leg TShellz Wrap® into your rehabilitation routine. Regular treatment with a Leg TShellz Wrap will provide an increased localized bloodflow while elongating and increasing flexibility of tissue in the treatment area. Not only does this increase your body's natural healing rate, the increased tissue length and flexibility reduce your risk of further injury. Re-injury and strains that occur during your recovery will setback your healing rate substantially - this is key... if you want to heal fast, increase bloodflow in the area, and do not suffer further injury - and this is the advantage that a TShellz Wrap® can give you. An enhanced healing rate decreases your time spent in recovery, minimizes the growth of scar tissue (due to lower reinjury) and helps prevent a worsening injury over time.

Speak to your doctor, surgeon or PT about incorporating Cold Compress or Ice Pack and TShellz Wrap® treatments into your post-operative rehabilitation program to boost your overall recovery process.


Post-OP Phase 1: Protect your Hamstring

Rehabilitation after surgery on your hamstring will first focus on protecting your leg from further damage as well as starting simple movements. The level of protection needed for your injury will depend on the type of surgery you have had. In most cases, immobilizing your leg and using crutches or a cane for daily activities is quite a common method to protect against re-injury. At your PT appointment, they will start with controlled range of motion exercises to regain joint mobility of leg and hip.

After an open hamstring surgery (depending on how much damage was repaired) your leg may be immobilized in a short or long-leg cast/brace with minimal weight bearing on your injured leg.

You may need to wear a cast and/or a removable brace for up to 4 weeks after a Percutaneous Surgery or Mini-open Repair procedure. After 4-6 weeks have passed, you may be able to return to weight bearing with the aid of crutches or a splint.

Rest is also vital to your rehabilitation plan, depending on the surgery you have undergone. When it comes to muscle or tendon repair surgery recovery, your surgeon or PT will expect you to rest as needed to prepare for PT and exercise to come. Depending on your type of surgery, rehabilitation with a PT will begin 2-6 weeks after surgery.

Directly after your surgery has been completed, you will undergo Step 1 of the healing process by stopping the bleeding that has started because of the incisions and work done inside of your hamstring muscles/tendons. Depending on the type of procedure you have just had, your tissue may be sutured together, reconstructed or removed to fix your underlying condition. In any case, as with any injury to your tissue, the tissue in your leg will be bleeding again. Depending on the type of injury you have, your surgeon may even stimulate bleeding during your surgery to trigger the healing process.

Typically your body will have begun to stop the bleeding as soon as your surgeon has completed your surgery. This means that the arteries carrying your blood will close off, and your blood will coagulate (condense to seal the bleeding off) in order to reduce the amount of blood loss in your body. Your body knows to do this automatically because blood is so vital to the healing process. Blood is basically the vehicle for oxygen and nutrients that travel directly to the injury in your leg - where these things are needed most.

In order to reduce pain, swelling and inflammation your doctor will prescribe an anti-inflammatory drug to be taken during the first week after your surgery, or for however long it is needed, depending on your pain level. Your surgeon will also recommend the use of a Cold Compress or Ice Pack on a frequent basis - multiple times per day - to control your inflammation and reduce your pain.

If you have undergone an arthroscopic surgery, you may have less blood loss and your doctor or surgeon will check before you leave the hospital to make sure your bleeding at the incisions has stopped. If you have undergone open surgery, your doctor and/or surgeon will check your incisions periodically over the next few days of your hospital-stay to ensure that your body has stopped the bleeding on its own and also make sure that your incisions are starting to heal.


Movements to Watch Out For After Surgery

You will possibly be advised by your physician not to drive or operate a motorized vehicle for at least a week after your surgery. This is because restriction of leg movement may affect your ability to brake or accelerate your vehicle properly, particularly in an emergency situation which may require rapid, deliberate movements of the leg.

Right after surgery, avoid straining with the leg that was just operated on. This basically includes undergoing any range of motion activity that would bend the knee.

After your incisions, repaired and/or removed tissue has stopped bleeding; your leg will probably be tender, swollen, red and hot to the touch - these are all symptoms of inflammation. Step 2 of the healing process is inflammation reduction. At this point you will be home if you have had arthroscopic surgery, or you may still be in the hospital if you have had open surgery. In order to reduce pain, swelling and inflammation your doctor will prescribe an anti-inflammatory drug to be taken during the first week or 2 after your surgery. Your surgeon will most likely recommend conservative treatments, like R.I.C.E. (Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation).

Rest at this point is vital to your rehabilitation plan depending on the surgery you have undergone. If you have had arthroscopic surgery with minimal internal wounding from your surgeon, you may be encouraged to start movement early or as soon as possible. Limited movements of the leg will be required in most cases after the surgery. If you have had an invasive open surgery, then you may be encouraged to rest longer at first before starting movement.

Your doctor or surgeon will advance you to the next Phase of rehabilitation when there is no evidence of inflammation or swelling in the upper leg or knee. If you have had arthroscopic surgery, your doctor may expect that you are able to move your lower leg, hips and knees around pain free (with the aid of a knee support or brace if needed) before moving onto the next Phase of rehabilitation.


Post-OP Phase 2: Gain Back Range of Motion & Stability in the Hamstring

After your hamstring starts to heal your tissue will be in a weakened state and will not be as strong as healthy tissue for some time. This is why you need to be on "re-injury watch" and make the most of your PT appointments and home therapies during your rehabilitation. It would be devastating if overdoing it at any point during the first few months of rehabilitation would send you right back into the operating room.

Leg TShellz Wrap to increase flexibility and length of hamstring muscles

After the initial healing of your hamstring surgery (when Step 1 and 2 of the healing process is done), temporary tissue will start to grow around tissue that was damaged during your injury or the surgery. Step 3 is the Growth of Temporary Tissue.

Once your new tissue has begun to grow you will be encouraged to gain back some of your range of motion (ROM) and increase the stability of your hip, leg and knee. Your doctor or surgeon may also introduce regular PT appointments. You may still be expected to wear a brace or use crutches to reduce the amount of stress you are placing on your hamstring muscles during movement (reducing your risk of re-injury).

You will start gradual movement of your leg in a free (non-forced) way with very low impact exercises, normally with very few repetitions of activity. You may be stiff at first, and you should expect simple and easy movement to be a bit more difficult for you to master and painful. Exercise of any kind is a method of increasing blood-flow in your hamstring to increase the amount of oxygen and nutrients that travel to your injured tissue.

You might start with gentle flexion exercises. Eventually, pain becomes the guiding factor with tolerance of weight-bearing or any exercises/stretches.

At about 6 to 12 weeks (depending on your type of surgery) you still need to allow for healing from the surgery. Although you may be feeling much better and your pain is dropping, your hamstring is nowhere near as strong as a normal hamstring. The point where the pain decreases yet the muscles and tendons are still weak is a critical point. This is the stage where you need to be very careful about re-injury.

Your surgeon will recommend regular PT appointments in the first 6 weeks after surgery. The type of surgery and the degree of damage to your hamstring will also make a difference in how soon you start PT.

Your PT appointments will be 1-3 times per week, and the progression of movement in your hamstring will be the guide. At your appointments you will be encouraged to gain back some of your range of motion and increase the stability of your injured leg. You will start with the gradual movement in a free (non-forced) way with little weight or resistance, normally with very few repetitions of activity. It will be stiff and painful at first, and simple, easy movements may seem challenging in the beginning. Don't be discouraged, your hard work will payoff in the end!

At Home Stretching/Exercise - Your therapist will encourage you, telling you just how important it is to commit to regular exercise at home as well as in the clinic. You should be doing homes exercises up to 3 times per day. They will give you the exercises and guidance based on your overall soreness level and morning discomfort.

We advise our clients to apply a TShellz Wrap® treatment to help increase blood flow before stretching (or exercise). Apply a TShellz Wrap treatment for approximately 10 to 20 minutes (finishing 15 minutes before exercise) to help increase elasticity and flexibility of your tendons, ligaments and muscles. The increased elasticity will help minimize tissue tears and scar tissue growth (increase ROM and decrease reinjury risk.

soft tissue blood circulation

Controlling post-exercise swelling and inflammation is crucial during this Phase. Any sign of swelling or inflammation after exercise may be an indication of minor re-injury to your hamstring or surrounding soft tissue. Control your inflammation immediately after exercise with a 15 to 20 minute cold treatment. If you are not careful to treat your swelling or inflammation immediately after exercise you may experience a set-back in your recovery.

Your doctor, surgeon or PT will advance you to the next Phase of rehabilitation when you show measured improvement of range of motion (ROM), strength, stability and flexibility of your leg and knee. The level of improvement will depend on the severity of your injury and the type of surgery you have had.


Post-OP Phase 3: Gain Back Full Capability of Your Hamstring

hamstring-surgery-post-op runner

After temporary tissue has grown (Step 3 of the healing process), this temporary tissue will go through different stages of conversion into healthy, normal, flexible tissue. This is Step 4 of the healing process (Complete Tissue Re-Growth). Before converting into healthy tissue, temporary tissue will often become tough, dense, fibrous scar tissue. Scar tissue has an unorganized, inflexible tissue structure, which makes it brittle. Scar tissue will provide your injury with more long term fusing power, but will also stick to surrounding healthy tissue in the back of your upper leg. The growth of this scar tissue is what stiffens your leg, restricting knee extension and flexibility.

This phase of your rehabilitation will focus on an increase in activity level in order to regain full range of motion (ROM) and muscle strength in your leg. Your doctor or PT will increase your activity by introducing the regular use of specific stretches, step ups and balance exercises.

Use a Leg TShellz Wrap® (Circulatory Boost) BEFORE workouts and a Cold Compress or Ice Pack after work-outs. This protocol will go a long way to maintaining overall tissue stretchability, reduce re-injury risk, and treat any pain, swelling or inflammation due to overexertion of your leg.

Your doctor or PT will advance you to the next Phase of rehabilitation when you have regained full ROM (range of motion) without pain in your hamstring. You may also have to pass clinical exams or tests of your muscle strength, balance, stability and flexibility in order to be cleared for Phase 4.


Post-OP Phase 4: Return to Regular Activities

In many cases, your doctor or surgeon may recommend that you continue muscle strengthening and stretching instructed during your rehabilitation in order to maintain healthy ROM of your hamstring. Additional cardiovascular exercise will also be encouraged. If you are an athlete or have a job that requires extensive physical capability, your doctor or PT will likely advise a very gradual return to previous activity. They also may encourage continued rehabilitation and/or maintenance of your upper leg through PT or conservative treatment methods, to prevent re-injury of your hamstring and knee.

Scar tissue may plague you for weeks, months and maybe even years after your surgery depending on your level of activity and the amount of conservative treatment you have undergone during your rehabilitation. Scar tissue will be a major problem as scar tissue can easily build up quickly and its hard to get rid of.

Even if you have been cleared to get back to activity, you still must be careful with the activity you take on. You need to keep in mind that your hamstring won't be back to 100% for some time (if at all) and so continued stretching with the exercises and stretches outlined give by you PT and treatment with T•Shellz and cold will maintain good health of the leg and significantly reduce your risk of re-injury.

Your success to recovering from hamstring surgery is up to you. Many of our past clients have found the following points to be quite valuable during their recovery period.

  • listen well to your physician and if conservative treatments are recommended, ask your physician about incorporating the use of an Leg TShellz Wrap® at home. Stick all prescribed treatments daily to ensure you maximize the opportunity to heal
  • Frequent use of a Cold Compress or Ice Pack after your surgery will get the swelling down. Much of the pain you feel will be from the swelling, and you will be surprised how quick the pain drops off once the swelling is down.
  • Consistent use of the Leg TShellz Wrap (a safe, carbon fiber medical device) will help reduce reinjury risk and promote blood flow to the area (and thereby accelerate the body's own healing process).
  • When applied before stretching, the Leg TShellz Wrap will help elongate connective tissue in the upper leg, hamstring and quadriceps. This soft tissue will remain elongated for some time after treatment. This means that it helps improve your range of motion which is exactly what you want when trying to recover from tendon and muscle damage.

If you have questions, call our office at 1-866-237-9608 (toll free continental US).


Expectations for Long-term Recovery

Rehabilitation after your Hamstring surgery is just the beginning of your recovery process. Even after you've had surgery to fix your hamstring, it is improbable that you will heal 100%. From this point on, you will always need to be careful with your hamstring, as is almost certainly weaker than it was before the injury, so your risk of re-injury in the future is much higher. Hamstring re-injury statistics support this, as approximately 12% to 16% of all injuries in athletes are hamstring strains and the reinjury rate is an eye-popping 22% to 34% (source: Journal Brandon Schmitt, M. M. Brandon Schmitt, Malachy McHugh. "HAMSTRING INJURY REHABILITATION AND PREVENTION OF REINJURY USING LENGTHENED STATE ECCENTRIC TRAINING: A NEW CONCEPT." International Journal of Sports PT 7.3 (2012): 333. Web. 10 July 2018.)


Your Success In Recovering From Hamstring Surgery Is Largely Up To You

  • listen well to your physician and if conservative treatments are recommended. Stick all the treatments daily often to ensure you maximize the opportunity to heal
  • Frequent use of a Cold Compress or Ice Pack after your surgery will get the swelling down very fast. Much of the pain you feel will be from the swelling, and you will be surprised how quick the pain drops off once the swelling is down.
  • The TShellz Wrap® is a safe device intended to help minimize scar tissue growth & increase blood flow to the area - thereby accelerating the body's own healing process.
  • when applied before stretching, the Leg-Arm TShellz Wrap will help the connective tissue in your upper and lower leg elongate, and stay elongated for a couple hours. This means that it helps improve your range of motion which is exactly what you want when trying to recover from soft tissue damage.

How Long To Heal After Hamstring Surgery?

Depending on your job (and whether your occupation has contributed to causing your condition), your injury, the type of surgery you have had, and the level of commitment toward your post-op rehabilitation, you may be able to return back to work from within 6 to 12 weeks after the surgery. Overall healing of the hamstring tendon after surgery may take upwards of 6 to 12 months, which means you may not be able to return to sports or walking/running/climbing with heavy loads, until a year has passed after your surgery.

After tendon surgery you will need to gradually return to regular activity.

Most people won't be able to return to other regular activities, like driving, until 8 weeks after major tendon surgery. This timeframe is of course different for everyone, and depends on the advice of your surgeon and/or PT. For example, you may be cleared to return to driving when you have shown that you are physically capable of raising and moving your leg on your own during PT.

Athletes may take up to 7 months to heal before they are ready to begin their sport again. Athletes are typically in very good health (good bloodflow - high oxygen/nutrient delivery), so their bodies have natural advantaged to heal soft tissue more quickly than average. Complete recovery from muscle or tendon surgery for non-athletes could take up to 1 year.


Manage Your Symptoms On A Daily Basis To Prevent Re-Injury.

It's simple to manage long-term healing of your hamstring with conservative treatment methods that can be conveniently used in the comfort of your own home. If you are looking for an all-natural pain management and long-term healing solution that will provide long-lasting relief, speak to your doctor today about incorporating the Leg TShellz Wrap into your treatment plan.

A Cold Compress or Ice Pack can help you to decrease post-operative pain and swelling while also managing any pain from occasional inflammatory flare-ups (re-injury). Consistent treatment with a Cold Compress or Ice Pack will effectively reduce your inflammation, draw the pain out of your leg and gently numb the nerve endings in your tissue for rapid, long-lasting pain relief.

During your last few stages of rehabilitation, while you are undergoing PT and focusing on improvements to your range of motion, it is important to maintain healthy blood flow in your hamstring muscle. Strong and healthy tendons and muscles need a solid blood circulatory system and this is exactly what our TShellz Wraps are made for.

Circulation Boost hamstring encourage tissue re-growth

Reduced blood flow slows down your recovery process and keeps your hamstring muscle and tendon tissue in a weakened state. If your tissue remains in this condition, you will always be at risk of re-injury that will severely set back all of your hard work of rehabilitating your leg injury.

Use TShellz Wraps regularly to prevent re-injury and keep your muscles, tendons and ligaments elastic and flexible. Healthy blood flow is vital to the healing process after surgery. Your blood flow is what brings oxygen, nutrients and energy (things needed to heal) into your damaged tissue. Blood Flow promotes tissue re-growth, strengthening the delicate work your surgeon has done.

Regular treatments with Circulatory Boost (via use of the TShellz Wrap®) will help you increase blood flow for up to 4 hours with just one 20 minute application! A Leg TShellz Wrap will help you increase blood flow to your repaired tendons and muscles. There simply isn't a better home product on the market to increase your body's natural healing process and provide long-term health benefits.


Dealing with Scar Tissue After Hamstring Surgery

How Scar Tissue Affects Your Rehabilitation

Tendons, ligaments, muscle and other soft tissue in the leg are all meant to be soft and flexible, ready to work and move extreme forces in everyday activities. When I say extreme force, I mean try to imagine the amount of tension that is put on your legs when running or climbing stairs - even when you are just walking even, let alone running.

Scar tissue grows in damaged tissue when it tries to heal; little tiny band-aids that overlap each other to bind tiny tissue tears together. With this added scar tissue, muscles & tendons & ligaments become rigid, less flexible and unable to handle the forces that it once could. If you're suffering with scar tissue now you may feel the effects with stiffness, tightness, weakness and tiredness in your hamstrings.

Scar tissue is something that will be present in your muscles before and after your surgery. The growth of scar tissue is ultimately what causes stiffening in your muscle, restricting movement and flexibility. Scar Tissue is something that cannot be avoided during surgery. Your surgeon will determine if the anticipated outcome from surgery will be successful, despite the buildup of scar tissue that you will develop as a result of the surgery. Overall, the surgeon may be able to remove a lot of the initial buildup of scar tissue around the injury and in doing so, view a positive outcome from the surgery.

Scar tissue can form fast to bring together the edges of a tear, but working fast doesn't mean that the job's done right. When scar tissue forms it doesn't come together as neatly as regular (healthy) tissue would. Scar tissue fibers will lay down over top of your tear in a cluttered, messy and jumbled up way.

On-going issues with scar tissue can result in soft tissue tears and increase chances of strain to nearby tendons or ligaments (as they are now handling higher forces due to overcompensation).

Scar tissue is one of the MAIN reasons why a chronic soft tissue injury has not healed and your Range of Motion (ROM) is reduced from what it once was.

Scar tissue will form fast to deal with a soft tissue hamstring strain, and this scar tissue will attach to EVERYTHING in the area, including the surrounding healthy tissue as well. This can result in a fusing together of the soft tissue in your hamstring and upper leg that shouldn't be fused together, and this will cause extreme pain when you move your leg - it is literally ripping scar tissue. This is why PT is often painful - the therapist stretches the joint, forcing the scar tissue bonds to break so you can regain your range of motion.

Scar tissue is a major problem when it comes to a hamstring injury - causing your injury to become chronic, and taking months or even YEARS to completely heal!

Unfortunately, scar tissue may plague you for weeks, months and maybe even years after your surgery, depending on your level of activity and the amount of conservative treatments you have done during your rehabilitation.

You can quickly minimize scar tissue growth and reduce risk of re-injury to your hamstring and leg muscles/tendons/ligaments by increasing blood flow to that area and increasing the elasticity of soft tissue in the area. Treating yourself with the Leg TShellz Wrap is the easiest and most effective way to help accelerate your recovery at home by increasing soft tissue elasticity which helps reduce the risk of more scar tissue growth.

When applied before activity or work, the TShellz Wrap will relax and lengthen your soft tissue to help improve your range of motion and prevent atrophy (tissue wasting & shortening) of your injured hamstring.

Overall, continued treatment with the Leg TShellz Wrap will maintain good health in your hamstring muscles and significantly reduce your risk of reinjury.


Are You Dealing with Rehabilitation After Hamstring Surgery?

We Have Answers that can Help...

Most cases of hamstring strains or tendonitis/tendonosis will respond well to conservative treatments, however, surgery will be needed in some cases (especially with a full rupture). Undergoing surgery, whether you have an open, percutaneous or mini-open procedure, can be a scary and challenging time for most.

The Internet and any medical professionals available to you (your surgeon, orthopaedic specialist and/or PT) will provide a wealth of information and details on the surgery itself, but it can be a challange to fully understand the medical terminology used, how your body reacts to the surgery and what comprehensive rehabilitation plan will get your body healed as soon as possible.

Surgery in itself is not the end of the journey, it is merely the beginning of a new chapter. Your rehabilitation efforts will have an important impact on how soon you can return to living and enjoying your normal daily life.

It truly takes a cohesive rehab plan after surgery - incorporating conservative home treatment, rest and PT/exercise - to ensure a complete recovery takes hold. There is no single answer and each individual experience in rehabilitation is different.

We here at AidYourHamstring provide suggestions and options for people to help get them through this life changing event. We assist many people in shaping an individual course of action to help them heal after surgery.

Click HERE to Go To Our Online Store If you have questions, call our office at 1-866-237-9608 (toll free continental US).


When to use a Leg TShellz Wrap:

  • Once the swelling is gone (usually after applying cold compression to the injury over 24 to 72 hr period).
  • BEFORE getting out of bed in the morning. BEFORE going to bed at night.
  • BEFORE exercise, workouts or activity of any kind to increase elasticity of tendons, ligaments and muscles and decrease the chance of re-injury.
  • AFTER surgery (once the skin wound has healed over, the swelling has dropped and your physician approves - a minimum of 6 weeks after surgery) to increase post-surgery healing rate and minimize scar tissue growth (due to reinjury) at the surgery location.
  • Anytime BEFORE you feel you might undertake activity that will put significant strain on the injury area.

When to use a Cold Compress or Ice Pack:

  • 24 to 72 hours after your initial injury or when you first notice pain and swelling to stop tissue damage, relieve pain, and decrease swelling.
  • After exercise, workouts or activity of any kind to prevent re-injury.
  • Before and after surgery during rehabilitation to control pre and post-surgery pain and swelling.
  • Anytime you feel your upper leg, knee or hip has been over-extended, over-worked, twisted, strained or sprained causing pain and swelling.
  • Anytime you have swelling, sharp throbbing pain or inflammation.
  • Any other situation where you need to draw the pain and inflammation out of your upper leg.

The Next Step Is Up To You!

Living with pain is never easy as it affects your entire lifestyle. Nothing is more important than making the proper decision when it comes to treating your muscle injury. Most methods only mask the problems or provide temporary relief; they do not treat the pain at its source.

AidYourHamstring stands out in this regard as our goal is to help you heal for the longer-term.

Leg TShellz Wrap

Doctors and Surgeons are always improving the technologies used in surgery, and results from surgery now are much more positive than they were in the past. However, all surgeries introduce scar tissue, and recovery from hamstring surgery is often less successful than you might expect. If you do wind up getting surgery, know that rehabilitation at-home while attending regular PT or doctor appointments is vital for your overall recovery. It is especially vital to the upper leg and knee areas, as they consistently handle extreme forces (body weight). Consistent exercise and conservative treatment on a daily basis during your rehabilitation while working with your doctor, surgeon or physical therapist is key - and this is why you should seriously consider maximizing your recovery by using the Leg TShellz Wrap® at home once you are approved for PT.

Leg TShellz Wrap Online Shop

AidYourHamstring.com stands out in this regard as our goal is to help you keep your hamstring healthy for the long-term in a cost effective manner. This might mean healing your hamstring without needing surgery. If you couldn't avoid surgery, it is our opinion that our tools can also help you recover from surgery more quickly and completely.

We strongly believe that we can help you, and we have thousands of happy clients to back this claim. You are welcome to try our products for a 60 day period.. If you are committed to following the treatments outlined in the product instructions we are very confident that our TShellz Wraps will aid you immensely. If you do not receive the benefits that countless of our other customers have experienced from our products, call us, mail the product back to us and we will provide you with a full product refund.

The fastest option you have to get our product into your hands as soon as possible is by placing your order online - at this very moment..

Place your order on-line through our ultra-secure
website by clicking the image below:



Or, Call Our Office. We are open Monday to Friday to allow you place an order over the phone. Simply call toll free 1-866-237-9608 to place an order with one of our knowledgeable Product Advisors. They have the ability to answer all your questions...ensuring you only receive the products you need.

North America Toll Free 1-866-237-9608
Outside North America +1-705-532-1671

guaranteed customer satisfaction

If you choose to order through our online shop, know that we keep no credit card data on file. Once the transaction is completed, the credit information disappears from our internal systems.

As you can see, ordering from us is a very easy and safe process, no matter if choosing to order on-line or over the phone.

Are you still unsure about placing an order? let me address some questions that may causing some hesitation...

What is the success rate of the TShellz Wraps®? Do they really work?

We try and keep in touch with a large percentage of our customers, and we encourage them to do the same. In doing so, we have received a lot of feedback as we have been in the business since 2008.

We can say that the return rate on our products is only around 5 to 10% any given month. That is exceptional by anyone's standards. Therefore, we can safely indicate that the overwhelming majority of people who purchase from us do achieve benefits with our products.

How much time do I need to dedicate for treatments? Are the products easy to use?

T•Shellz Wrap MendMeshop

The TShellz Wraps® are very easy devices to use. After one or two uses, you will engage in the treatments with ease. Very detailed instructions are included and you are always welcome to contact us by phone or email if the need for help arises.

In regards to the TShellz Wrap®, it is ideal to use the device two or three times a day on average. Each treatment session is a maximum of 20 minutes in duration and the device will turn off automatically at that time. Typically, people use the TShellz Wrap® before bed, upon awakening (or not long after) and one other time during the day when the opportunity presents itself. For people in an office setting, many will use the device at work (as it can be worn over clothing). For others, they will use the device an our or two after work.

A Cold Compress or Ice Pack is primarily used following activity that stresses the injured tissues (following work, after a sports activity, or just suffering a general re-injury). This is done to reduce inflammation and to minimize tissue damage. Treatments are 15 to 20 minutes in duration.

How long has MendMeShop been in business

We established our firm in December of 2005. Our track record in this field continues to grow and we plan on being around for many decades to come.

What is your return policy? Is it the standard 30 days?

We go above and beyond what other companies offer - we offer a full 60 day money back guarantee with no restocking fees.

order our pain products securely on-line


Living with pain is never easy and we encourage you to call us with any questions regarding how our products might relate to your frozen shoulder condition. We will do our best to help.

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Product Advisors are available 9:00 am to 5:00 pm Eastern Standard Time Monday to Friday.

Learn More About Leg Injuries & Treatments

I want to learn more about Surgery & Post-Surgery Recovery

I want to learn more about Circulation Boost

I want to learn more about Ice & Heat: Which Is Better For Treatment?

I want to learn more about Stretching for the Hamstring

I want to learn more about Soft Tissue Injury Treatments


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During your recovery, you will probably have to modify and/or eliminate any activities that cause pain or discomfort at the location of your soft tissue injury until the pain and inflammation settle. The more diligent you are with your treatment and rehabilitation, the faster you will see successful results!


Please be aware that this information is neither intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. CALL YOUR HEALTHCARE PROVIDER IMMEDIATELY IF YOU THINK YOU MAY HAVE A MEDICAL EMERGENCY. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider before using any of our outstanding products to make sure they are right for you and your condition or if you have any questions regarding a medical condition. Always see your doctor for a proper diagnosis as there are often many injuries and conditions (some very serious) that could be the cause of your pain.

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