Hamstring Avulsion (complete tear from pelvis)

[mlfoster1]

Hi, all.

My surgery was October 12, 2009, so I am now 12 weeks out. I have returned to work this week where I spend my day sitting -- a lot and for extended periods of time. I'm finding that sitting is a real issue. I work in a formal setting where I am unable to adjust my position for comfort. My job requires intense concentration, so being relatively comfortable is important. I have tried sitting with a pillow under my affected side, under my unaffected side, leaning foward, backward, shifting my weight side to side, and I just cannot get comfortable. Because I am trying to compensate for the soreness on my surgical site I am concerned about having problems with my back and my unaffected leg. The incision site is still tender if I sit on it on the edge of a chair, but that's tolerable. The reattachment site, though, is swollen and tender and my physical therapist has told me that that may take up to a year to resolve. I'm wondering if anyone has found something that's not too rigid or hard to sit on that may relieve the soreness that starts after about 20 minutes of sitting.

Thanks for your help.

Dayna

Hi Dayna I am about 5 weeks out, having spent about 4 of them on crutches. I'm a little concerned that you are expecting too much of yourself by returning to work so soon. I don't know if you had a complete avulsion, but it seems that you are putting far too much strain on your anchors and tendon repair. I have not been alowed to sit yet. I may stand or lie down. There is no pain on the incision line and I have a brace that only gives me a 20 degree flex. I'm an athlete, and lucky enough that I don't have to support myself, but you may be putting yourself as risk for chronic sciatic nerve problems. Perhaps you should consult with your doc. It seems that your incision line heal would have a tough time healing when there is so much pressure applied all the time. Maybe get a second opinion? Good luck!

[Heleen]

Hello,

I'm a woman (from the Netherlands) , just 50 years old. I had a complete hamstring avulsion , 4 cm retracted, on 27-10-2009 (when skeeting). I also saw a orthopedic doctor. He decided to have no surgery, because he had some good results with other patients.
Now (almost 3 months further) I still have difficulties with walking, pain at the backside of the leg when sitting, and it's impossible to run.
I'm a very active person (skeeting, tennis, squash, mountainbiking ).
Does anyone have experience with having no operation?
Does anyone have experience with having a delated operation?

[Jay M]

Heleen,
I am sorry to hear about your injury. However, welcome to our quickly growing group. I, too had a hamstring avulsion, which was repaired about 10-11 months ago. Fortunately, I self diagnosed myself and demanded an MRI, which ultimately confirmed my injury. There are others on the site that did have surgery significantly later than most. A couple years in a few cases. With that said, it is much better to have the surgery as soon as possible. This is because the sciatic nerve often times gets surrounded by scar tissue. This situation often causes a myraid of problems. While your injury is certainly not in the acute phase, I don't think that so much time has passed that surgery should be really complicated. I'm certainly not a surgeon, so please talk to your doctor regarding scar tissue issues and how that may affect surgery, if you decide to go that route. As far as not having surgery. The hamstring will not re-attach itself to the correct place without surgery and your physical activity will certainly be adversly affected. Ohters have been able to do amazing things without surgery (like run marathons), but I think almost everyone on this site, who has had the surgery would agree that its necessary. I personally couldn't imagine NOT having surgery after the injury. I remember how weak my leg was before surgery compared to now. The most challenging thing for you may be finding a surgeon who has experience with the surgery and is willing to do it. I'm not sure how common this surgery is in the Netherlands.

Good luck and heal well,

Jay

[merrybaker]

Heleen, I am 12 days post op, and so far doing great! pain is less than with the original injury. My surgery was 11 months after the original injury. they tried every conservative method I know of. I spent months going to therapy, and was not able to work full time due to pain issues. I am a 54 year old overweight woman, it was difficult finding a surgeon who was willing to do the surgery. I had constant pain every time I sat, as well as pain in my ankle. My leg was also very weak, and I even fell a month ago when my leg gave out. When they did the surgery, the surgeon said he found a big wad of scar tissue around the sciatic nerve that he took off. My therapist said if they had not done the surgery, they would have eventually had to go in a do something with the scar tissue anyway, that was only going to get worse.

It probably would have been an easier surgery had it been done sooner, but I am an example of one who had it done almost a year out. So far, the post surgical pain has been less than the pain I had everyday prior to the surgery!

Hang in there, hope all goes well!

[mlfoster1]

Hi I am a very active person as well and 59. I have run and played competitive tennis all my life. I have sprained and torn BOTH hamstrings. Most recently, I had a complete avulsion of the left hamsstring. Two of the three tendons totally pulled away while I was running. I'm lucky that I saw the doctor for the N.Y. GIANTS when I first started having problems, so he immediately ordered an MRI. A week later I went into surgery. Let me tell you that durng the course of the two years that I was healing my other sprains and small tears, I dealt with chronic pain and long periods of no activity and rest. There is no way that scar tissue can function the same way. It's not as flexible and continues to flare up. It also puts the rest of the hamstring as risk because of the attempt to compensate. i think that some doctors may not have much experience wtih this type of surgery, and therefor recommend rest. I would recommend you get another opinion by someone that has lots of experience with this type of surgery. The healing after this surgery was pain free, but a bit annoying. I was on crutches, unable to still sit after 5 weeks, going to the bathroom is REALLY problematic, but a raised toilet is helpful. Check other sites for all the items that are essential for daily functioning, like a "picker" for pulling up your pants. I hope you do well with either decision. I'm still resting at home, but I feel very optimistic. Good luck to you!

[mlfoster1]

Hi Amy I just had a repair of a total avulsion of the Left hamstring. I came accross this site and was reading through past posts to see how people have done over time. How are you now? Have you returned to your regular activities?
Thanks,
Michelle

[merrybaker]

Went for my 1st post op visit today. Staples were removed. I'm told the incision looks great. I had a hamstring reconstruction using a cadavor achilles tendon to replace mine which had retracted to far to use. The mri had showed that two of the tendons were torn, when the surgeons went in, they found the biceps femoris was also torn.

The hard thing is going to be staying down. I cannot sit for at least another three weeks, so I went out and bought another recliner that goes all the way back so I can stop spending most of my day lying in bed.

I finally asked the surgeon how many of these hamstring tendon reconstructions he has done, and he stated I was his first. He has
a vast amount of experience in tendon reconstructions of other parts such as acl, achilles and shoulders. I thanked him for doing mine-I know the surgery is a rare one, especially with reconstructing a hamstring tendon, not just reattaching it. They were suprised with how little pain I have. Go back in three weeks for another visit.

[Heleen]

Went for my 1st post op visit today. Staples were removed. I'm told the incision looks great. I had a hamstring reconstruction using a cadavor achilles tendon to replace mine which had retracted to far to use. The mri had showed that two of the tendons were torn, when the surgeons went in, they found the biceps femoris was also torn.

The hard thing is going to be staying down. I cannot sit for at least another three weeks, so I went out and bought another recliner that goes all the way back so I can stop spending most of my day lying in bed.

I finally asked the surgeon how many of these hamstring tendon reconstructions he has done, and he stated I was his first. He has
a vast amount of experience in tendon reconstructions of other parts such as acl, achilles and shoulders. I thanked him for doing mine-I know the surgery is a rare one, especially with reconstructing a hamstring tendon, not just reattaching it. They were suprised with how little pain I have. Go back in three weeks for another visit.

I'm so glad to hear from you! Thank you for your reactions. In the Netherlands there's no one to talk with. I know how rare the avulsion of the hamstring is. I too sure knew I had an avulsion and asked for a MRI or echo, but non of the first aid/ surgian would do this. It was "just a tear of the muscle". Than I asked a college to get me a echo/MRI. Two docters had an opposit meaning: one sad to do the operation (although the age of 50....) , the other sad he would never do this becausee of good results with other patients. So the first docter told me also to do no surgery!
Days after the injury I got emboly and was taken to the hospital.
Now I will visit the orthopedic doctor at the 10th of february . I visit the physiotherapist 3 times a week and do lots af exercises bij my self. But walking is just very slowly and the knee shows instabillety.
I'm feeling very emotional / unsure about all this. Will I ever be able to walk/ sport or work as a therapist at all?
Merry,Yay and others, do/ did you have a kneebrace?

[merrybaker]

I do not have a brace at all. My doctor is allowing me to semi sit and put weight on my leg, but I have to walk with my knee straight and semi sit with the knee in a flexed position so the brace would not work Since I had a tendon reconstruction, he is going about things differently than if he would have been able to use my own tendon.

I am a nurse, and the injury occurred in the hospital I worked at, and was a witnessed injury, but it still took 9 months to find a doctor who would MRI the injury. The doctors I went to here, also said nothing could be done.

Due to all the atrophy in my hamstring muscle, the doctor is not sure if the muscle will come back, but the one thing I will have is MORE stability which is what I wanted.

Hang in there, do all the therapy they suggest. I was told by the surgeon that the conservative way is the way they go, it is only because all the conservative measures failed that I was able to have the surgery.

[I Fell]

Heleen,

Results of surgery from those that have posted here have been good. I can do everything I did before at the same levels as prior to surgery. Even those with delayed surgery have had excellent results. You should be able to return to sport and work. It takes a little while to get get full strength back but 6 weeks after the operation most get around without a brace and crutches just fine. Some doctors use a brace andothers do not. Both groups seem to do well but without a brace there is a chance to reinjure the repair if one overdoes it. I had a brace which was annoying but probablly protected me from myself because I had no pain afterward. There are plenty of good tips on this site to make life easier after the operation. Read through and ask questions. There are a lot of good people here willing to help.

Heal well.