I play basketball and have a painful tight hamstring. What’s the best treatment?

Q. I’m a competitive 23-year-old female basketball player who has had pain and a tight left hamstring for two months. There was no one acute injury. My symptoms gradually came on over a week. There is only slight tenderness in the back of my upper thigh. The pain is worse the more I run. The pain also increases the more I bend my knee.

I saw a sports doctor who took X-rays that she said were normal. I rested for three weeks but as soon as I went back to play the symptoms started to return. I am frustrated and would appreciate any advice you could give to help get me better.

A. It is certainly possible you have a strain of one of your hamstring muscles. This can result in pain in the back of your thigh as well as limited motion of your knee or hip. However, you did not have an acute injury and you only have mild tenderness.

Other possible diagnoses are a sciatic nerve problem originating from your lower back or a stress fracture of your thigh bone. I recommend you see an orthopedic surgeon for a more thorough exam.

Depending upon the physical exam, an MRI of your femur/thigh or lower back may also be helpful in establishing a correct diagnosis. A hamstring injury would likely be treated with physical therapy. A stress fracture or sciatic problem would require different treatments and time out of sports.

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