PROGRAM OVERVIEW: Welcome to the hamstring reset program. This is an 8-phase program that will guide you through progressive exercises to strengthen the hamstrings. The program will begin with mobility, then progress through stability & strength.

FOCUS: This program is designed to help you overcome a mild to moderate hamstring strain and gradually help you return to your previous level of activity. It is progressive in nature and initially focuses on pain reduction. As you advance, you will work on your mobility and movements and finally finish with some strengthening. 

PROGRAM STRUCTURE: 8 Phases - You will perform the exercise routine from each phase for at least 1 week prior to moving on to the next phase. Follow our guidelines in each phase to know when you are ready to progress on to the next phase.

SESSION STRUCTURE: Each phase of this program is to be repeated multiple times (3-4) throughout a given week on non-consecutive days. Follow each phase for a minimum of 1-week prior to moving onto the next phase.

EQUIPMENT: Foam roller, Miniband, Box/Chair, Dumbbells (light to medium in weight)

This program is for educational purposes only. You should consult your physician prior to engaging in this program.

Education

Phase 1 is all about pain reduction and if an exercise does not agree with you, you should modify it accordingly to avoid pain. It can be in the form of less reps or duration, reducing the range of motion or even sometimes skipping that exercise until you can do it with little to no pain.

Activity Modifications

• Avoid or limit all painful activities especially the ones requiring work from your hamstring such as bending over, running, etc.

• Avoid taking anti-inflammatory medications especially if you just injured yourself. Inflammation is an important and necessary part of the healing process.

• Avoid stretching your injured hamstrings.

• Make you meet your protein intake as proteins are the building blocks for new tissue growth and repair.

Progression Criteria

1. You performed phase 1 for at least one week and for the prescribed amount of times.

2. You are able to perform all activities without pain.

3. Your pain during daily activities is lessened.

Education

Phase 2 continues to be dedicated to pain reduction but we also begin to introduce light activation of the hamstrings. It should be pain free and you might have to modify the exercise in order to make it work for you as instructed in the video.

Activity Modifications

• Avoid or limit all painful activities especially the ones requiring work from your hamstring such as bending over, running, etc.

• Avoid taking anti-inflammatory medications especially if you just injured yourself. Inflammation is an important and necessary part of the healing process.

• Avoid stretching your injured hamstrings.

• Make you meet your protein intake as proteins are the building blocks for new tissue growth and repair.

Progression Criteria

1. You performed phase 2 for at least one week and for the prescribed amount of times.

2. You are able to perform all activities without pain.

3. Your pain during daily activities is lessened.

Education

As we gradually load the healing hamstrings, it is very important to listen to your body and progress at your own pace in order to avoid irritating the muscle too much. You will be provided with ways to modify range of motion and loading in order to accommodate your current healing state. We advise to not progress to the next phase until you have performed one week of the current phase and you should not feel pressured to progress after one week. Look whether you have met the other criteria for progression before progressing. It is okay to spend 3 weeks or more on one phase if you need to.

Activity Modifications

• Avoid or limit all painful activities especially the ones requiring work from your hamstring such as bending over, running, etc.

• Avoid stretching your injured hamstrings.

• Make you meet your protein intake as proteins are the building blocks for new tissue growth and repair.

Progression Criteria

1. You performed phase 3 for at least one week and for the prescribed amount of times.

2. You are able to perform all activities without pain.

3. Your pain during daily activities is lessened.

Education

When resuming stretching after a muscle strain, it can be easy to overdo it. We recommend you stay very light, especially the first time you do in order to get an idea of how the muscle responds. As a general rule, the more severe the strain, the longer you want to delay stretching and start gently.

Activity Modifications

• As things feel better and better, be mindful not to overdo the activities that caused or used to cause pain.

• Be gentle with stretching.

• It is okay to resume activities that do not produce pain.

Progression Criteria

1. You performed phase 4 for at least one week and for the prescribed amount of times.

2. You are able to perform all activities without pain and with good form with all reps.

3. Your pain during daily activities continues to improve.

Education

As we continue to progress strength and stability work, it is important to recognize where you are and make sure you can perform the exercise with good form and without significant pain to avoid over stressing your ankle. We provide you with several ways to scale down the activities as needed. 

Activity Modification

1. Gradually ease back into your activity as pain allows.

2. Maintain good sleep and eat plenty of protein to boost healing.

Progression Criteria

1. You performed phase 5 for at least one week for the prescribed amount of times.

2. Your pain continues to decrease.

3. You are able to perform all exercises without pain and good form.

Education

The potential for faulty form increases as we progress through stability work in set number 3. Make sure you pay attention to the form during the instruction part of the video and work diligently to maintain that perfect form for the duration of the exercises.

Activity Modification

• As things feel better and better, be mindful not to overdo the activities that caused or used to cause pain.

• Be gentle with stretching and progress at your own pace

• It is okay to resume activities that do not produce pain.

Progression Criteria

1. You performed phase 6 for at least one week and for the prescribed amount of times.

2. You are able to perform all activities without pain and with good form on all reps.

3. You are able to gain some flexibility back in your hamstrings.

4. More and more daily activities become pain free.

Education

We begin to load your hamstrings closer to their end-range in this phase to promote resilience and strength in the healing tissue. It is important to perform these exercises pain free and with good form in a range that you have control of.

Activity Modifications

• As things feel better and better, be mindful not to overdo the activities that caused or used to cause pain.

• Be gentle with stretching and lengthening of the hamstrings. Progress at your own pace.

• It is okay to resume activities that do not produce pain but be careful with activities requiring more demands on the hamstrings such as running fast or uphill.

Progression Criteria

1. You performed phase 7 for at least one week and for the prescribed amount of times.

2. You are able to perform all activities without pain and with good form on all reps.

3. You are able to perform the sumo deadlift within your full range and without pain.

4. Most activities should be pain free.

Education

Phase 8 is the final phase of this reset program and as such it aims to prepare you to return you to all your activities. Make sure you respect where your hamstring is at in its healing. This phase ends when you can perform all activities with full range of motion and no pain or discomfort. It is also important to note that you should be careful returning to the activity that strained your hamstring in the first place. For example, if you got injured sprinting, we do advise that you begin sprinting full speed right away, but rather ease back into those with a gradual increase in speed over multiple sessions.

Activity Modifications

• Return gradually to the activity/sport that caused your injury. Being pain free does not mean that your tissue is done healing. In fact, it will continue to heal and remain more prone to injuries for several more weeks and even months after you are done with this program.

• Consider beginning a strength program to further reduce your risk of re-injury. 

• Perform regular soft tissue recovery sessions available on the website after your activities.

Progression Criteria

1. You performed phase 8 for at least one week and for the prescribed amount of times.

2. You are able to perform all activities without pain and with good form on all reps.

3. All activities should be pain free.