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SPORTS PHYSIOTHERAPY
You’re sprinting for the ball, chasing down a teammate, or just pushing the pace on a Saturday morning run, and then it happens: a sudden grab at the back of your thigh, as if someone reached out and yanked a rubber band stretched too tight. You pull up immediately, maybe limping it off, maybe easing straight down to a walk.
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If you are seeking effective care for a hamstring strain Brisbane athletes trust, this unmistakable feel is the start of something our sports physiotherapists treat every season. This is the unmistakable feel of a hamstring strain, and if you have played a winter sport for more than a season or two, there is a good chance you already know exactly what we are talking about.
Your hamstrings are a group of three muscles (the biceps femoris, semitendinosus, and semimembranosus) that run from your sit bone at the base of your pelvis down to just below the back of your knee. They work hard every time you sprint, decelerate, kick, or change direction, controlling your hip and knee at speed. A hamstring strain happens when fibres within one of these muscles are stretched or loaded beyond what they can handle, usually during high speed running or a sudden overstretch, and some of those fibres tear.
Clinically, hamstring strains are graded by severity. A Grade 1 strain involves only a small number of fibres, with mild pain and little to no loss of strength, often allowing someone to keep playing despite the discomfort. A Grade 2 strain is a partial tear, with more noticeable pain, swelling or bruising, a visible limp, and a real loss of strength. A Grade 3 strain is a complete tear or rupture, usually accompanied by a sharp pop, significant swelling and bruising, and an inability to use the leg properly. Where the strain sits matters too: injuries higher up near the sit bone tend to take longer to settle than those lower down in the muscle belly itself.
What makes hamstring strains particularly frustrating is how often they come back. Research consistently shows that a previous hamstring strain is the single biggest risk factor for another one, and reinjuries are often worse than the original, usually because the muscle returns to sport before it has truly finished healing and regained its strength through full range. Getting the rehabilitation right the first time matters just as much as the initial recovery.
Hamstring strains rarely come out of nowhere. The build up usually includes a combination of the following.
Senior Physiotherapist Campbell Antonio has a particular interest in sports performance, injury prevention, and long term athletic development, and sees hamstring strains constantly across the winter sporting season. He played AFL himself before moving into physiotherapy, and now works as the lead physiotherapist for the Queensland Men’s Volleyball team and the Queensland Reds Women’s Team, giving him a close, ongoing view of how athletes actually rehabilitate this injury and get back to full speed.
“The biggest mistake I see is treating a hamstring strain like an injury you just rest until it stops hurting,” Campbell explains.
“Pain settling down is only the first checkpoint. The research is clear that a structured eccentric strengthening program and a gradual return to high speed running, building from a slow jog up toward full sprinting in stages, matters far more for preventing a repeat injury than how long someone rested. I would rather see someone progress properly over a few extra weeks than rush back and be sitting in my treatment room again a month later with the same strain, worse than before.”
—Campbell Antonio, Senior Physiotherapist
Pain: in the early stage, we focus on settling pain and protecting the healing muscle, using relative rest, hands-on treatment, and load that the hamstring can tolerate without aggravating the tear further.
Prevention: as healing progresses, we rebuild strength specifically through eccentric loading, the exact quality that protects against reinjury, alongside addressing any strength imbalance or flexibility deficit that contributed to the strain in the first place.
Performance: from there, we guide a staged return to running, sprinting, and sport specific movement, progressing speed and intensity in a way that is matched to how your hamstring is actually responding, so you return to full training and competition with confidence rather than hesitation.
You can see our team directly for a hamstring strain, no GP referral required. We will assess the grade and exact location of the strain, rule out other causes of posterior thigh pain such as sciatica or referred lower back pain, and build a staged rehabilitation plan around your sport, your season, and how your hamstring is actually responding to load.
Do not let a hamstring strain turn into a season long cycle of flare ups and false starts. Make an appointment with our team today, and let’s get you back to experiences you never felt possible.
Hamstring injuries are clinically graded by severity. A Grade 1 strain involves a mild stretch or a few torn fibres with minimal pain and strength loss. A Grade 2 is a partial tear with noticeable pain, swelling, and a clear loss of strength. A Grade 3 is a complete rupture or tear, often accompanied by a sharp “pop,” significant bruising, and an inability to bear weight or use the leg properly.
It is strongly discouraged. Trying to play through a mild Grade 1 hamstring strain often turns a minor micro-tear into a significant partial tear (Grade 2). Resting appropriately and addressing the underlying issue immediately prevents a small niggle from turning into a multi-week or season-long sideline.
The single biggest risk factor for a hamstring strain is having a previous one. Reinjuries usually happen because the muscle was only rested until pain subsided, rather than being fully rehabilitated through its full range of motion. Building structured eccentric strength and gradually progressing back to sprinting are essential to break this cycle.
Not in the early stages. Aggressive or forceful stretching of an acutely strained hamstring can pull on healing tissue and irritate the injury further. Instead of deep static stretching, gentle movement within a pain-free range and targeted loading under professional guidance are much safer and more effective.
No GP referral is required. You can book an appointment directly with Campbell Antonio or any of our sports physiotherapists at PEAK. If you have private health insurance, you can also claim your physiotherapy rebate on the spot.
From Prevention to Performance. Start Today!
Blog
SPORTS PHYSIOTHERAPY
You’re sprinting for the ball, chasing down a teammate, or just pushing the pace on a Saturday morning run, and then it happens: a sudden grab at the back of your thigh, as if someone reached out and yanked a rubber band stretched too tight. You pull up immediately, maybe limping it off, maybe easing straight down to a walk.
Author:
Campbell Antonio, Senior Coach, Physiotherapist
|
Published Oct 31, 2026
Share this Article:
If you are seeking effective care for a hamstring strain Brisbane athletes trust, this unmistakable feel is the start of something our sports physiotherapists treat every season. This is the unmistakable feel of a hamstring strain, and if you have played a winter sport for more than a season or two, there is a good chance you already know exactly what we are talking about.
Your hamstrings are a group of three muscles (the biceps femoris, semitendinosus, and semimembranosus) that run from your sit bone at the base of your pelvis down to just below the back of your knee. They work hard every time you sprint, decelerate, kick, or change direction, controlling your hip and knee at speed. A hamstring strain happens when fibres within one of these muscles are stretched or loaded beyond what they can handle, usually during high speed running or a sudden overstretch, and some of those fibres tear.
Clinically, hamstring strains are graded by severity. A Grade 1 strain involves only a small number of fibres, with mild pain and little to no loss of strength, often allowing someone to keep playing despite the discomfort. A Grade 2 strain is a partial tear, with more noticeable pain, swelling or bruising, a visible limp, and a real loss of strength. A Grade 3 strain is a complete tear or rupture, usually accompanied by a sharp pop, significant swelling and bruising, and an inability to use the leg properly. Where the strain sits matters too: injuries higher up near the sit bone tend to take longer to settle than those lower down in the muscle belly itself.
What makes hamstring strains particularly frustrating is how often they come back. Research consistently shows that a previous hamstring strain is the single biggest risk factor for another one, and reinjuries are often worse than the original, usually because the muscle returns to sport before it has truly finished healing and regained its strength through full range. Getting the rehabilitation right the first time matters just as much as the initial recovery.
Hamstring strains rarely come out of nowhere. The build up usually includes a combination of the following.
Senior Physiotherapist Campbell Antonio has a particular interest in sports performance, injury prevention, and long term athletic development, and sees hamstring strains constantly across the winter sporting season. He played AFL himself before moving into physiotherapy, and now works as the lead physiotherapist for the Queensland Men’s Volleyball team and the Queensland Reds Women’s Team, giving him a close, ongoing view of how athletes actually rehabilitate this injury and get back to full speed.
“The biggest mistake I see is treating a hamstring strain like an injury you just rest until it stops hurting,” Campbell explains.
"Pain settling down is only the first checkpoint. The research is clear that a structured eccentric strengthening program and a gradual return to high speed running, building from a slow jog up toward full sprinting in stages, matters far more for preventing a repeat injury than how long someone rested. I would rather see someone progress properly over a few extra weeks than rush back and be sitting in my treatment room again a month later with the same strain, worse than before."
—Campbell Antonio, Senior Physiotherapist
Pain: in the early stage, we focus on settling pain and protecting the healing muscle, using relative rest, hands-on treatment, and load that the hamstring can tolerate without aggravating the tear further.
Prevention: as healing progresses, we rebuild strength specifically through eccentric loading, the exact quality that protects against reinjury, alongside addressing any strength imbalance or flexibility deficit that contributed to the strain in the first place.
Performance: from there, we guide a staged return to running, sprinting, and sport specific movement, progressing speed and intensity in a way that is matched to how your hamstring is actually responding, so you return to full training and competition with confidence rather than hesitation.
You can see our team directly for a hamstring strain, no GP referral required. We will assess the grade and exact location of the strain, rule out other causes of posterior thigh pain such as sciatica or referred lower back pain, and build a staged rehabilitation plan around your sport, your season, and how your hamstring is actually responding to load.
Do not let a hamstring strain turn into a season long cycle of flare ups and false starts. Make an appointment with our team today, and let’s get you back to experiences you never felt possible.
Hamstring injuries are clinically graded by severity. A Grade 1 strain involves a mild stretch or a few torn fibres with minimal pain and strength loss. A Grade 2 is a partial tear with noticeable pain, swelling, and a clear loss of strength. A Grade 3 is a complete rupture or tear, often accompanied by a sharp "pop," significant bruising, and an inability to bear weight or use the leg properly.
It is strongly discouraged. Trying to play through a mild Grade 1 hamstring strain often turns a minor micro-tear into a significant partial tear (Grade 2). Resting appropriately and addressing the underlying issue immediately prevents a small niggle from turning into a multi-week or season-long sideline.
The single biggest risk factor for a hamstring strain is having a previous one. Reinjuries usually happen because the muscle was only rested until pain subsided, rather than being fully rehabilitated through its full range of motion. Building structured eccentric strength and gradually progressing back to sprinting are essential to break this cycle.
Not in the early stages. Aggressive or forceful stretching of an acutely strained hamstring can pull on healing tissue and irritate the injury further. Instead of deep static stretching, gentle movement within a pain-free range and targeted loading under professional guidance are much safer and more effective.
No GP referral is required. You can book an appointment directly with Campbell Antonio or any of our sports physiotherapists at PEAK. If you have private health insurance, you can also claim your physiotherapy rebate on the spot.
From Prevention to Performance. Start Today!
MAKE AN APPOINTMENT Sources: PEAK Sports and Spine Centre hamstring strain condition page; PEAK team profile, Campbell Antonio; 2022 Academy of Orthopaedic Physical Therapy and American Academy of Sports Physical Therapy clinical practice guidelines on hamstring strain injury, Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy; Sports Medicine Australia hamstring strain injury fact sheet.
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