Here’s how to treat a hamstring injury that you got from playing soccer

Q. Last week while playing soccer I felt a pull in the back of my thigh. I stopped playing and rested it. There is not much pain but it feels tight. I am uncertain when I can return to play as I don’t want to “tear a hamstring muscle.” Any tips on safe return to play would be appreciated.

A. There are three hamstring muscles in the back of your thigh that help you bend your knee and extend your hip. Hamstring muscles are heavily involved in sprinting and stopping, which are important in most sports but particularly at risk of injury in sports such as soccer.

Injuries to the hamstring muscles are essentially divided into three grades. A microtear of the muscle is grade 1. A grade 2 injury is a partial muscle tear. A grade 3 injury is a complete tear of the muscle fibers. It sounds like you sustained a grade 1 injury. You should not return to play until you have no symptoms.

I recommend you see an orthopedic surgeon or sports medicine specialist to confirm the diagnosis and to put you on a program to get you better. The program should be geared to improve your flexibility and pregame ritual to decrease your risk of re-injury.

Although MRI scans and ultrasounds are helpful in establishing the extent of an injury, they have limited benefit in predicting when it is safe to return to play. Your physician is best at determining that decision.

Dr. Harlan Selesnick is team physician of the Miami Heat and Inter Miami. Send your questions to HarlanS@baptisthealth.net

This story was originally published March 26, 2026 at 3:03 PM.