Healing Like a Pro – Part 2

I’m in week four of my hamstring rehab after a small injury that occurred while playing soccer. Going to physical therapy has been pivotal in my recovery. When a tear in the hamstring occurs, the body lays down scar tissue made of collagen. The problem with the scar tissue is that it is not striated in a regular pattern like the surrounding muscle. The area is also susceptible to further injury because the vascular supply is deficient at the scarred area. I also had a knot formed by the scar tissue. The goal of physical therapy is to not only strengthen the injured area, but to bring the vascular supply back to the tear and physically break up the scar tissue with massage. Usain Bolt was able to beat a world record in Rio after sustaining a hamstring injury earlier this year. If you want to heal like a pro, it’s better not to try to do it on your own so that you have an objective third-party helping you recover and keeping you from returning to your sport too early.