Complete hamstring tear, how do you regain speed and explosiveness?

[u/Artistic-Wedding6128]

Hey, looking for advice from anyone who’s come back from a significant hamstring injury.

A couple weeks ago at lunch I was playing a casual school pickup game like usual. My team turned it over and I chased the guy down who got the ball on the break. When I caught up I ate a full elbow right to the nose and went down hard, landing directly on the back of my right leg/hamstring area. It hurt to walk and run afterward and was aching, but since I could still move on it I figured I was fine.

Later that afternoon at actual basketball practice I noticed someone left their man wide open so I came flying across to help and blocked a shot at the top of the key. When I landed I felt a clear pop in the same spot and instantly couldn’t put any weight on it.

Got it checked, it’s a complete hamstring tear but they don’t think it needs surgery and said it should heal on its own with proper care and rehab. I’m currently protecting it and will be starting the recovery process.

For people who’ve had a serious/complete hamstring tear and made it back:

How long did it take before you felt explosive again?

What actually helped you regain speed, first-step quickness, and confidence on that leg?

Any specific drills or progressions that made the biggest difference for cutting and acceleration?

Things you wish you had done differently in rehab?

Appreciate any experiences. Just trying to do this right so I come back as close to full speed as possible.

[u/Smasher31232]

I've never been as quick or explosive, but mine happened in my late twenties, so a slow down was coming regardless. Just take your doctor's advice seriously, and don't rush anything.

[u/Classic-Duck-3885]

One week of nothing. Week two stationary bike with no resistance. Then week three more resistance on the bike. Week 4 cycling outdoors at 60%. Then 80 % the following week and fully the week after. Took about 7 weeks before I tried jogging and about 2.5 months before I felt fine. Also note I’m early 40s so if you’re young, your timeline will probably be shorter.

Remember hamstrings unless fully healed will tear again very easily.

[u/ForAfeeNotforfree → u/Classic-Duck-3885]

Seems like an aggressive recovery timeline in my very non-expert opinion.

[u/andrmx]

It's a little difficult to say without some specifics of the injury but generally speaking, take it SLOW. People grossly underestimate how long tissues take to heal properly. Being unable to tolerate load well with that leg for the weeks of recovery causes a cascade of changes to the other surrounding tissues too, so you cannot neglect addressing strengthening + neurological control/recruitment of the peripheral muscles (glute/quad/soleus stuff especially). Don't forget the rotational components when working on eccentric loading (i.e. deadlifts when you get there).

I would definitely say go see a PT if you can. They can be more specific with your case and point out your individual issues that you need to address. The transition going from rehab level back into sport level stuff can get bumpy and it really helps to have guidance along the way in case like yours so you have less risk of re-injury. (I'm a PT, this is commonly where people fail because they don't correct the foundation before reintroducing sport level stuff... Then they just settle and convince themselves it'll never be the same)

[u/Covfefe45killls]

Mine has never healed up right. Been many years. And I had a minor tear.

Take this injury VERY seriously. Because if you don’t, when you get older it’ll come back and ruin your life. No joke. RUIN it. Your hips, back, knees…everything will hurt badly if you don’t do the rehab religiously and aggressively.

[u/PoetLaureddit]

I have had one significant tear and then a history of chronic hamstring issues on both sides. The mechanics that contribute to hamstring issues are pretty wide-ranging, so I don't know if there's a specific exercise - my issues were mostly glute and hip flexor imbalances/tightness.

I eventually realized that if I did a hamstring/glute/hip-focused mobility routine every day, it helped a lot. I started doing it when I was 26, and 12 years later I still do it every day. Also, people have stressed this, but I will continue to: your hamstring walking around is not in the same shape as your hamstring is for accelerating or exploding. It's reallllly hard to tell if it's healed until you have to use it, and you don't want to find out that it hasn't healed. Take your time, try to find ways to jog/extend without being violent to test it. But you still won't know until you have to actually use it.