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Medication for a Pulled HamstringPrescribed Medication![]() Pain medications (analgesics) and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) can be used if required to help manage your hamstring pain. However, these medications will not cure your condition; they will merely treat some of your symptoms. These drugs aren't recommended for everyone or for long term use, as pain medications can cause liver damage, and NSAIDs can cause gastrointestinal difficulties (such as upset stomach, diarrhea, ulcers and intestinal bleeding). They can also trigger other serious side effects, and even inhibit the body's natural ability to heal itself. COX-2 Inhibitors (prescription NSAIDs like Celebrex, Bextra or Vioxx, block the COX-2 enzyme involved with prostaglandin production responsible for inflammation) have been linked with risks of heart attack, stroke and in some cases death. The US Food & Drug Administration (FDA) asked manufacturers to withdraw some COX-2 Inhibitors (Vioxx and Bextra) from the market as well as put a big black warning label on the packaging outlining the risks involved with use (Celebrex). ![]() Cortisone/steroid injections may initially help reduce inflammation and swelling of your pulled hamstring. However they are very controversial, as they can trigger a hamstring tear (this is influenced by the severity of injury and frequency of injections). Botox injections have also recently been used to relieve pain and tension. Ask your doctor if any of these are options for your condition. Corticosteroids should be used with caution and only under the supervision of a medical professional. Some health professionals have also recommended natural supplements such as Glucosamine, MSM, Chondritin, Capsaicin, Devil's Claw, Arnica or Yucca Leaf to help relieve pain and/or strengthen your tissues. Hyaluronic Acid (Hyalgan) injections have also had some success. Natural Treatments for Hamstring PullsAlthough medication can be helpful to reduce the pain and inflammation of a hamstring pulls and strains, side effects can be damaging overtime. Use of NSAIDS and pain medication is not recommended over a long period of time. The following home therapies can be used to treat your hamstring in a natural, non-addictive way that will not harm your organs or increase your risk of other diseases. Below, we outline some natural conservative treatment options that many of our clients have had success with for hamstring pulls and muscle spasms: Hamstring spasms are frustrating to live with especially when they occur during activity and sports. Keeping your body hydrated and replacing electrolytes during and following activities are positive steps toward preventing spasms. When a spasm occurs, there are home treatments you can use to relax the muscle and reduce the spasm. Proper treatment will get you back to regular activities sooner, stop your pain, and reduce the risk of hamstring muscle injury and further spasm. If you are getting spasms due to a pinched nerve from a spinal injury, you really need to see your physician. You might be able to use conservative treatment methods to help reduce the frequency or severity of such spasms, but the underlying cause will remain without assistance from a physician or surgeon. The most widely recommended conservative - yet effective - treatments for muscle spasm are:
Outside of change in diet, the remaining conservative treatments focus on heat (this temporarily increases flexibility and elongates muscles, tendons and ligament), an increase in blood flow and stretches. Cold compression IS NOT a good method to deal with hamstring muscle spasms, but can be used if you suffer re-injury of your hamstring due to the spasms or other activities. Anytime when your hamstring is swollen, inflamed or painful without experiencing the spasms, you should be using cold. The rest of the time, when you are suffering from hamstring muscle spasms, you should be using Soft Tissue Repair Therapy to relieve your hamstring muscle spasms. Promoting blood flow within a muscle or soft tissue injury to help improve muscle function and/or heal muscle strians/tears is a concept that has been utilized for centuries. This is where the focus has to be if you are seeking long-term improvement. Oxygen and nutrients, carried within the blood, are critical for the body to heal itself. Without proper blood flow, recovering from an injury or condition will be delayed...sometimes for a very long period of time. When people think blood flow beyond exercise, they instantly think "heating pad". Unfortunately, many individuals make the mistake in believing that a simple heating pad or microwavable gel packs will provide the blood flow needed to heal injured tissues. Nothing could be further from the truth. ![]() To begin with, heating pads and warmed gel packs work on conduction. The heat they generate has to be forced through multiple layers of skin and fatty tissues. With each layer of skin the heat passes through, there is a corresponding energy loss because that heat is absorbing into each layer it passes through- the skin is an excellent insulator! Your body responds to this heat by increasing the blood flow near your skins surface (not in your injured tissue) to dissipate the heat and it does so quite effectively. By the time what little heat reaches below the skin, sub-dermal layer and fat layer into the targeted area (the dense, injured tissues), very little energy remains and this does not effectively enhance blood flow. With little blood flow reaching these injured tissues - healing just doesn't happen. The heating pad may feel comforting when on the body, but that is because the warmth is absorbing into the skin. Moist heat has been believed to be more effective at warming internal tissues versus dry heat, because it is believed that water transfers heat more quickly than through air. Clinical studies do not support that popular belief. When you are using a heating pad, all that you are really accomplishing is warming of the skin. The unintended consequence is that you draw blood flow AWAY from the targeted tissues (the injured ones deeper in the body) and direct the blood flow to the surface of the body. Warming the skin will not significantly contribute to healing of muscles, tendons, ligaments, cartilage, or any other tissues. So If A Heating Pad Is Not The Answer, What Is?In order to effectively stimulate blood flow to the dense tissue deep within the body, an energy based on an electromagnetic principle (diathermy) is needed. In essence, this is a conversion energy vs a conductive heat (like the heating pad example above - that is conductive heat). Electromagnetic energy waves are not conductive heat waves - they are a much longer wavelength and hence, penetrate deep into the body. They are very safe and very effective as research over decades has shown. The F.D.A recognizes this as fact. When these energy waves are emitted,they penetrate right through your skin and fat layers until they are absorbed by tissue high in protein. This means ligaments, muscles, cartilage, tendons and bone. Once they reach the targeted areas, they are absorbed and quickly converted into thermal energy... right at the location of the injury. This results in relaxation of the vessel walls. The vessels then gently expand, allowing for more nutrient rich blood flow along with extra oxygen and antibodies to reach spasmed muscles. Plus, the enhanced blood flow helps in flushing cell waste and fluid build-up from the muscle - further enhancing the ability of the body to heal. ![]() As mentioned above, standard heating pads and heated gel packs accomplish the exact opposite of your goals. They direct blood flow to the skin, not to the injured muscles and soft tissues you are trying to aid. Electromagnetic energy is a form of energy will easily penetrate through clothing, skin, and fatty tissues... directly into your spasmed muscles and soft tissues - deep within your leg. After the energy absorbs into hamstring muscles, the metabolic response then kick starts the repair and rebuilding process. More blood now begins to flow effectively to spasming muscles deep within the body. Spasmed muscles are typically starved for nutrients - and need the extra blood flow to recover as it is through the blood the body carries the oxygen, nutrients, and antibodies needed for proper and long-term healing. While the concept of electromagnetic energy is slowly catching on in North America, the truth is, it is a technology that has been utilized in other societies for decades. Over the past 30 years, researchers in Japan and China have completed extensive studies on the use of the modality and their findings have been impressive. In addition, success has been reported in studies from countries such as Sweden and Germany. Research is continuing and soon, much of North America will know what the Far East and Europe has known for a long time; electromagnetic energy provides a wide range of health benefits for those not only suffering from hamstring spasms, but for any muscles spasms or ailments such as bursitis, tendinitis, Tenosynovitis, , tennis elbow, etc.. Now, on to recommendation number two in the journey to deal with your spasming muscle... The Leg T•Shellz Wrap® - Deep Heat & Increased Blood Flow for Your Hamstring SpasmsDeep heat and increased blood flow can best be achieved at home via use of the T•Shellz Wrap®. Using a Leg T•Shellz Wrap® on your hamstring stimulates blood flow on a deep tissue level within the hamstring muscle - blood flow that relaxes the spasming muscle to end the spasm cycle. Use of this device results in a dramatic increase in blood flow to the injured tissues located deeper within the body - all in a non-invasive manner. Have you seen what happens when you add water to a flower wilted from drought? In essence, your injured muscle is much like a "wilted" flower; your body wants to heal its injury, but needs lots of nutrients to do it. Blood brings new life to your cells by delivering healing nutrients and oxygen that are vital to your tissue. In addition, the blood carries away toxins and cellular waste cleaning the area and healing it faster. Without a good supply of blood, your spasming hamstring muscle simply won't get the nutrients it needs and will continue to spasm. Using a T•Shellz Wrap® will not expose you to the risk of causing further harm to soft tissue like you can when using rigorous exercise. The Leg T•Shellz Wrap® accomplishes the goal of enhanced blood flow without the need for intensive exercise and as such reduces your risk of re-injury. T•Shellz Wrap® = Accelerated Healing Power for Your Hamstring Strain or Hamstring Spasm![]() The Leg T•Shellz Wrap® is based on the scientifically validated principle of Electromagnetic energy as we discussed previously. This form of treatment is safe and effective as shown in numerous studies which can be referenced through the National Library of Medicine. Professional athletes and those in the medical field have been users of the technology for decades - it really hasn't been until recently that companies like ours introduced the treatment devices to the home user. The healing energy from the T•Shellz Wrap® does not absorb into the skin - it absorbs directly into the damaged muscle and soft tissue (as a result, you will not feel the same level of heat on the skin versus a heating pad). The longer wavelength provides the electromagnetic energy wrap with the capability of penetrating deep into the body (well over two and a half inches). EM energy emitted from the T•Shellz Wrap® is absorbed by high protein tissue (muscle, tendon, ligament, cartilage) and is converted into Kinetic energy - much of this energy being released as heat. Overall, EM energy will warm soft tissues, improve blood circulation, and boost metabolism and enzyme activity. In stimulating localized blood flow to damaged soft tissue, you provide needed oxygen, nutrients, and antibodies to regenerate new, healthy collagen. In addition, you will experience a clearing of toxins and excess fluid build up from the injury site. Over the intermediate term, this helps to reduce incidents of swelling as trapped fluids will be whisked away - reducing pressure on blood vessels. Using the T-Shell Wrap is truly a unique experience. Within moments of applying a treatment to your spasming hamstring, you can feel the healing sensation due to the increase in blood flow deep within the area. During a treatment, and for quite some time after you finish, the treated area will feel relaxed and less painful. It's a very soothing sensation and extremely effective. Who Should Use the T•Shellz Wrap®We recommend the use of a T•Shellz Wrap®:
Increased Blood Circulation = Reduced Risk of Muscle Spasm T•Shellz Wraps® contain a unique, flexible Carbon Fiber Energy Pad which is flexible and will shape to conform to your body. This Energy Pad emits a uniform wave of perfectly safe electromagnetic energy over its entire surface. This energy travels deep inside to the muscles and tendons in your leg, stimulating blood flow your own body needs to feed your starved muscles. It is the electromagnetic energy that is crucial to the healing process. Benefits attributed to Electromagnetic Energy (the energy used in TShellz Wraps): A Summary from Chapter 9 of "Therapeutic Heat and Cold", 4th edition. Generally it is accepted that heat on soft tissue (muscles, tendons, ligaments) provides the following desirable therapeutic effects:
Best of all... The Leg T•Shellz Wrap®, is an FDA Registered Medical Device and is suitable for use in therapeutic clinics and FROM HOME. It is completely safe for people and patients to use for themselves. As mentioned earlier, the use of electromagnetic energy is becoming much more commonplace in North America for everyday people. The technology has been used for decades in the worlds of professional and amateur sport - a contributing factor as to why athletes seem to recover from injuries so quickly. Have you ever wondered by an athlete can return to activity after 3 or 4 weeks following a hamstring injury - while your average person takes much longer to return back to normal? The secret isn't really that much of a secret - it involves consistent treatments (meaning multiple times a day) using a diathermy treatment like the T•Shellz Wrap® to stimulate blood flow in and around soft tissue. Often, athletes have the luxury of using in-house therapy facilities many times per day. How many us can afford the time and money to visit a therapy clinic multiple times a day? Very few indeed. This is how you can gain the same advantage that athletes enjoy in healing their own injuries - by using a device like the Leg T•Shellz Wrap® two or three times a day on a consistent basis. Consistent Treatments = Consistent And Long Term Improvement What Else Makes the Leg T•Shellz Wrap® So Special?We believe the T•Shellz Wrap® to be one of the most effective treatments to stimulate blood flow to dense, injured tissues such as muscles, tendons, ligaments, and other similar tissues. We can promise that you will receive a product that is designed to be safe and does what it is supposed to do...quickly relieve pain and aid in the recovery from tendon, muscle and other soft tissue injuries. The unit plugs into a standard wall outlet to get its power. The nice thing about the power supply is that the same unit can be used in North America and overseas as well. It has the capability to operate between 110v and 230v. It has a special signal controller that can be set for 3 different power levels of application (3=High, 2=Medium, 1=Low). The cord is long so you can sit or lie comfortably and watch TV, read or surf the net while you're using it. Treatments are max 30 minutes in duration and the device can be worn over clothing. This allows you to use the device at work, at home, or really anywhere you have access to an electrical outlet. A Recap of the Benefits of the T•Shellz Wrap®..
When Should I Use My TShellz Wrap During the Day?The most common question we receive from individuals prior to purchasing is - how many times a day should I be using my T•Shellz Wraps® and when should I be using them? While treatment plans will differ for each individual and their specific condition, there are general guidelines that should be adhered to.
The Leg T•Shellz Wrap® would then be used:
Learn More About Leg Injuries & TreatmentsI want to learn more about Surgery & Post-Surgery Recovery I want to learn more about Soft Tissue Repair Therapy 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 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. Always consult your doctor and/or Physical Therapist before using any of our outstanding products, to make sure they are right for you and your condition. The more diligent you are with your treatment and rehabilitation, the faster you will see successful results! Product specialists are available 9:00 am to 5:00 pm Eastern Standard Time Monday to Friday. If any question or concern arises, call us or simply send us an email at any time (we check our emails constantly all throughout the day and night.. even on holidays!). We will respond as soon as possible. North America Toll Free 1-866-237-9608 | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |