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Pulled/Torn Hamstring after ACL Reconstruction

(35 discussions)

3 weeks after my ACL Reconstruction (Hamstring Graft) I started walking. everything was good. I was working on getting my range of motion back and when I was sitting down with my leg out I started dragging it back and I put pressure on my hamstring which hasn’t been used for 3 weeks. I heard a crack/pop/tear (in the back of my thigh) and my hamstring started hurting. it hurts now when I use it or straighten it too much. my knee feels great but I know whats left of my hamstring hurts. I didn’t do damage to the graft did i?

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35 comments

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    9 10

    I think I was 6-8 wks post surgery. I was doing hamstring strengthening PT exercises when I slipped a little and felt a pop in my hamstring along with some serious pain and what felt like maybe a cramp. The PT and doctor weren’t sure if it was anything serious, but it never really got much better. An MRI revealed a likely tear. I’ve tried everything – standard PT, manual PT, needling, acupuncture, strengthening, and probably other things I’m not remembering. It’s now been 3 years and I know I will never be the same athlete that I was before surgery. I get no explosiveness or knee drive when jumping off of one foot. It sucks. I really hope this is not the case for anyone here, but just wanted to put it out there that sometimes it’s not just scar tissue releasing – it actually is a hamstring tear.

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    9 10

    I don’t see any answers hear, just people stating the same issues that I have just experienced… did anyone get a response from their surgeon or physio.

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    9 10

    Same, 3 days after surgery I kicked a ball (in a dream) (thanks dream) woke up with what felt like a rubber band snapping and in f****ing agony acute to the hamstring lower semimembranosus area . 10/10 pain, is heavily bruised. Today, 5am – did the same f’ing thing! Hoping it isn’t causing damage, and it is scar tissue, was told to expect popping/ feeling of pulling the muscle but wasn’t expecting absolute agony! Keen to know if anyone knows exactly what it is that’s ripping/ popping/ pulling? Thanks

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    9 10

    Good to know as I am only one week post op acl with hamstring graft and my hamstring. Thanks for the information

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    9 10

    I am just over 3 weeks post op Acl Hamstring autograft. I have been doing well with PT and ahead of schedule and generally pain free. I was walking without crutches 2 1/2 weeks. Earlier tonight I was in my bed with a significant other and heard a small crack behind my knee. Theres was a small pain sensation and later I have had light sharp pains behind my knee. It is still tender walking only occasional steps and when I straighten my leg for a quad set. I found this blog because I was nervously looking up to see if I tore my Hamstring autograft.

    It sounds like this may be scare tissue breaking up which is easing my mind. Just looking to hear other thoughts from other’s who have had this and followed up with professionals.

    Thanks

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      9 10

      Hi I posted this comment and wish to delete if possible

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    9 10

    Went and seen physio and she assured me that I tore built up scar tissue on hamstring (which is apparently a good thing) initially it made my hamstring quiet stiff but a couple days on and it feels a heap better. Totally free’d up my knee

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    9 10

    I’m 5 and a half weeks post surgery and I was on a foam roller today and felt a pop as well. Initially it was relieving, I felt like I could get more range of motion. Was worried I damaged my graft so called physio and she told me that it sounded like a release. As it’s cooled down my hamstring feels a little bit stiffer, but no pain in the knee. I’ll be following this up and will continue to update my progress on here..

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    9 10

    Ok I saw surgeon and he was not worried at all. He said it was just scar tissue releasing. Said it could not be graph because it was to deep to do the bruising I had. Could not be hamstring with the movement I was doing. I was so worried because I had felt a definite release when it popped, but I am over a week since it happened and seem to be progressing as usual. Hope this helps someone else going through the worry that I had.

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    9 10

    I too had the pop and pain behind knee just straitening leg in bed. I am 6 weeks post op. I have bruising in the saddle behind knee, and it is sore to the touch. I am so worried that is is the graft. My surgeon does not like to return calls, so I am stuck until this Friday for a appointment. I will report back with my experience. Also I don’t know how has the swelling been for everyone. My leg is still very swollen 6 weeks post op. ( ACL with hamstring graft and both medial and lateral meniscus repair.)

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    9 10

    well, I just had the pop while taking off a boot, three weeks post op. It’s frustrsting that there isn’t better information out there about this!

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    9 10

    I am undergoing the same situation. ..and have seen a number of ppl has gone through it… So thought of sharing my experience/diagnosis details…
    After 3 weeks after my ACL surgery..everything was going fine according to my Physio plan..and I just started putting weight on my operated Leg..that is when while just straightening my leg ..felt a little pop at the back of my Knee with sharp pain in my hamstring ranging from back of Knee to the belly of hamstring… I had similar sensation 4-5 times in last 3-4 days while straightening my leg…
    What I did: I stopped putting more weight on my operated leg… relaxed my leg and put ice pack ..and little later took the anti-inflammatory.. I stopped doing any Physio until I can see my doctor…

    Today I visited my Surgeon. He told me it is normal for around this time (3-4 week post surgery) and suggest that is is sign of your tendon started to rebuilt and causing muscle Spasm.. He suggested it is common and I should wait for 6 weeks of initial healing/recovery time before I should start with any heavy strengthening exercises… He was not at all worried and asked me to continue with the exercises I have been doing with focus on Tendon strengthening exercises….and if there is any Swelling/pain (I don’t have any so far) use Ice Pack/Pain killer and can relax with my physio for couple of days to start again when comfortable…

    I am feeling relaxed after my DR visit…Obviously, all the cases are different, so I would suggest to visit your Doctor and get the opinion from the expert…

    Wish you all a speedy revovery….

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      9 10

      Hi Abhi,
      What sort of exercise/loading were you doing? I had a hammy graft ACL reconstruction three weeks ago today. Stupidly, I went to the gym and tried to pick up a barbbell. I got exactly the same popping “noise” if that is what you can call it that everyone else has described and AM SO WORRIED that I have re-reptured the ACL. Thing is, I can walk around as I was before, totally straighten my leg fine and don’t have swelling. I am probably just overthinking it but thought I would ask anyway. Thanks,
      Owen.

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    9 10

    I had the same. Turns out it is scar tissue detaching and resetting. Like a cable snapping then burningnpain and nausea. Each time the hamstring has been temporarily useless. The second time it took a few days to recover, but last time it recovered within an hour. Both my surgeon and physio say it is nothing to worry about in my case. I do wish someone had warned me. Looking at this thread it looks like others would appreciate that too!

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    9 10

    I’ve had a similar thing happen to what has been described above. 3.5 weeks in doing excercises prescribed by physio, tense quads and push down for 5 seconds ,whilst ankle elevated on rolled towel. Right at end doc last set, a jolt in the knee and a ping in hamstring. First fear was the graft, could it be that, all pain was in belly of hamstring. Knee does not hurt, a few hours later when walking a stabbing pain in hamstring. Is this likely to be a hamstring tear

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    9 10

    So 2 weeks ago after my Meniscus and ACL repair done 10 weeks before I simply stepped back and huge pop and burning through out the back of my knee and hamstring so I was worried surgery but after MRI determined a tendon tore not a major one but one they graphed on my original suergery 5 years ago
    Crutches for the 2 weeks lots of ice steroids shots and rest helping but hope I can get back

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    9 10

    Hi all

    7 weeks post-op and have had recurrent hamstring tears since week 3 (overexertion). It would be great to hear back from people who had be early stage tears tobhesr what the prognosis is. I’ve had so many tears now in such a short space of time I’m really worried about the long term prognosis.

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    9 10

    I had the exact same thing happen to me 3 weeks post op and again after 4 and a half weeks. The hamstring is extremely sore and swollen and I can barely straighten or flex my leg which makes walking quite difficult. Does this mean that my hamstring graft was not done very well? I had surgery on July 10th.

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    9 10

    wow, I was searching around because I had kind of the same issue. Had my acl reconstructed with a hamstring graft on Aug 9/06. I was sleeping the other day, and when I woke up in the morning I guess I stretched my leg out and all of a sudden it felt like my hamstring was pulled then snapped back into place, with a popping sound, and it really hurt, and has been bothering me for a few days now when I take a wrong step on it. Nothing I could really do about it because I was sleeping and kind of out of it when it happened. Like to hear back…. I go back to physio in a few days, so ill ask then

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    9 10

    I just had the same thing happen to me last night when I was getting off the couch. The only difference is that my “pop” was in the back of the knee. I am worried that I tore my new hamstring graft. Did anyone on this posting find out what was going on with their hamstring/knee? Thanks, Chris

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    9 10

    I had my ACL and meniscus done 4 weeks ago and evrything . Yesterday during physical therapy I felt a pop after doing leg exercises. Now today just a while ago, I got up off the couch and felt a big pain. I goes up the back of my knee to my thigh and I guess it is the hamstring. Did I injure myself after my surgery? Please answer soon. Thank you.

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    9 10

    Had the same thing happen while I was in the shower (without my brace) just several days after surgery. Which was not according to Dr.orders! I place weight on my leg because I became slightly off-balanced and I heard and felt a notable “pop” in the back of my leg which hurt intensely. Is it possible to damage the hamstring after a graft, or is the graft too small to allow such an injury? Thanks for your time.

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    9 10

    OK… So I had the same thing happen – sitting on floor, doing some PT and “pop” in back of leg. Surgery was 2.5 weeks ago…Hamstring hurts on and off…still have range of motion. Should I be concerned?

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    9 10

    All, I had ACL surgery over a year ago now performed by a leading UK ACL surgeon. When doing some leg straightening exercises a few weeks after surgery I also heard a bit of a pop at the back of the knee. The explanation apparently is that the pop is the rupture of a few remaining fibres of hamstring tendon that was removed to form the replacement ACL. This is not a problem and, as you will have had explained to you, you will not miss it unless you do sprinting motions from deep flexion in the knee (such as from sprinting blocks). It is possible in any of your cases that the hamstring was pulled due to being slightly weakened by the graft, but this would heal itself long before you were in a position to go running about on a reconstructed ACL! Be careful if you do try running on a reconstructed knee with a sore / damaged hamstring – the hamstrings help balance the pressure on the knee exerted by the quads. Women’s quads are more powerful than men’s in relation to the relative strength of the hamstring, which is noted as one possible reason behind torn ACL’s being more common in women. I am not a doctor or a physio, this is my own research and experiences!

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    9 10

    2.5weeks after my ACL surgery(hamstring graft) I visited the physiotherapist and my hamstring popped while doing one of her exercises. It was trying to straighten my knee while tensing my quadriceps and hamstring when suddenly my hamstring popped. I felt immense pain in the central tendon of the hamstring. Currently it hurts immensely trying to stretch it. I am just wondering if I have anything to woory about?

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      9 10

      HiAlmost the exact same thing happened to me as to the guy below. Just wondering what the answer is?I’m 2.5 weeks post op as well. thanks chris””2.5weeks after my ACL surgery(hamstring graft) I visited the physiotherapist and my hamstring popped while doing one of her exercises. It was trying to straighten my knee while tensing my quadriceps and hamstring when suddenly my hamstring popped. I felt immense pain in the central tendon of the hamstring. Currently it hurts immensely trying to stretch it. I am just wondering if I have anything to woory about? “”

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    9 10

    3 weeks after my ACL surgery(hamstring graft) I was walking up some stairs and what I think is my hamstring suddenly popped or riped. I felt immense pain in this area. Currently it hurts trying to stretch it. I am just wondering if I have anything to woory about?

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    9 10

    Hi, It has been three weeks since my surgery. I was taking off a boot today and I heard a pop in the back of my knee. I have pain. My wife heard the sound from about 10 feet away. I am icing now. Is this a real problem? What should I do?

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      9 10

      Your situation is exactly the same to what just happened to me. Was it fine? What was it?

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    9 10

    I am 6 months out of acl reconstruction with a hamstring graft. I just got to where I could jog with minimal limping. While jogging I had a pop behind my knee felt like a shock. I took it easy. But 3 weeks later durring some light activity it cramped up on me and now my entire hamstring has turned black with bruising. My doc also performed tiger woods acl surgery. But he is to busy to help me. I am a martial arts instructor and I love to jump and flip. Please help.

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    9 10

    Did anybody ever get any complete answers here. I’m three weeks post Op and have damaged my hamstring and its killing me at the moment. any idea what going on anyone? and definite plan of rehabiliation – its slowing the main rehab?

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      9 10

      Was it fine

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      9 10

      I just did the same thing 3 weeks post op. What did you find out?

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    9 10

    I just had the surgery 4 weeks ago and had the pop today at rehab. my therapist says its the scar tissue breaking up. It will fell like I pulled my hamstring, but it is ok.

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      9 10

      Same happened to. Me was it fine… Waiting for the answer
      Regard

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