Struggling with Hamstring Injury? Here’s How to Heal It Right With Acupuncture

A hamstring injury is more than just a pulled muscle. It can affect how you walk, run, or even sit comfortably. Whether you’re an athlete or just someone who overstretched during a workout, this type of injury can interrupt your daily life and delay your fitness goals.

In this article, we’ll explore the anatomy of the hamstrings, the most common causes of injury, and will also cover how acupuncture is used in our clinic to treat hamstring injuries.

To understand how these injuries happen, it helps to first understand what the hamstrings are and what they do.

The hamstrings are a group of three muscles located at the back of your thigh: the biceps femoris, semitendinosus, and semimembranosus. These muscles work together to help bend your knee and extend your hip—functions that are essential for walking, running, jumping, and even standing up from a chair.

A hamstring injury occurs when one or more of these muscles are overstretched or torn. This type of strain is common in sports and physical activities that involve explosive movements or sudden changes in direction.

Research published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine reports that hamstring injuries account for up to 37% of all muscle injuries in professional soccer players. These injuries are also common in track and field athletes, basketball players, and even recreational exercisers. 

But they can occur off the field too—like when someone slips and falls, or if the person does a lunge awkwardly and causes the hamstring muscle to overstretch suddenly.

Not all back of knee pain are caused by one-time incidents. In many cases, underlying factors increase the risk without you realizing it.

Several key risk factors have been identified in clinical studies. Some of them relate to how you train, while others are tied to the muscle imbalances in the body’s structure. Understanding these causes is essential for both prevention and treatment.

1. Poor Flexibility and Inadequate Warm-Up

Cold, tight muscles are less elastic and more prone to strain. Skipping warm-up routines limits blood flow and makes the hamstrings vulnerable to injury.

A dynamic warm-up is “moving while you stretch” or stretching through a joint’s full range of motion and preparing muscles for more intense exercise to come. A dynamic warm-up promotes blood flow, PREVENTS INJURY and improves overall performance.

The two best examples dynamic warmups for the hamstrings are:

1. T walks
2. Lunge with rotation

These warm ups are supposed to help you slowly extend the hip and flex the knee, which is what the hamstrings are involved in.

2. Muscle Imbalance

When the quadriceps (the muscles at the front of your thighs) are significantly stronger than the hamstrings, the weaker back muscles are forced to work harder, especially during high-speed movements.

The hamstring strength should be at least 60% of the strength of the quadriceps. Ideally, we want the hamstring strength to be 75% of the strength of the quadriceps. At the bare minimum, to prevent imbalances, it should be at least 60%. 

Below are some exercises you can do to strengthen the hamstrings:

1. Nordic hamstring curl
2. Lumbar bridge
3. Hamstring curls using elastic resistance bands
4. Deadlifts
5. Romanian deadlifts

3. Fatigue and Overuse

As muscles tire, they become less effective at absorbing shock and coordinating movement, increasing the risk of injury—particularly during the later stages of games or long workouts.

4. Previous Injury

Studies consistently show that a previous hamstring strain is the strongest predictor of future injury. Improper healing or premature return to activity can lead to chronic weakness and re-injury.

Recognizing the signs of a hamstring injury early can help prevent it from becoming worse. While symptoms vary depending on severity, there are common signs to watch for.

Pain, swelling, and limited movement are typical of most hamstring injuries, but the intensity can differ. Healthcare professionals classify these injuries into three grades based on how much muscle damage has occurred.

Grade 1 (Mild)

Involves minor stretching or micro-tears in the muscle. You may feel tightness or mild discomfort, but walking is usually still possible.

Grade 2 (Moderate)

Involves a partial tear. You’ll likely experience sharp pain, swelling, bruising, and reduced strength or flexibility in the leg.

Grade 3 (Severe)

Involves a complete tear of the muscle or tendon. You may feel or hear a “popping” sound, followed by severe pain, significant bruising, and difficulty bearing weight on the leg.

Once diagnosed, the goal of treatment is to reduce pain, restore function, and prevent re-injury. Effective treatment often combines multiple approaches.

1) R.I.C.E Protocol (First 48–72 Hours)

In the early phase of injury, rest and inflammation control are essential. The R.I.C.E protocol remains the first step in most soft tissue injury management:

• Rest the injured leg and avoid activities that stress the muscle.
• Ice the area for 15–20 minutes several times a day to reduce swelling.
• Compression using an elastic bandage helps control inflammation.
• Elevation above heart level can also help minimize swelling.

Avoid heat, stretching, or massage during this phase, as they can worsen internal bleeding.

2) Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation

As the acute symptoms subside, the focus shifts to gradual rehabilitation. According to a 2016 study published in the American Journal of Sports Medicine, athletes who used eccentric hamstring exercises—such as Nordic hamstring curls—had significantly lower re-injury rates compared to those who did not.

A structured rehab program typically includes:

• Stretching exercises to restore flexibility
• Strength training to rebuild muscle and correct imbalances
• Neuromuscular training to improve coordination and movement control
• Sport-specific drills before returning to competition or high-level activity

3) Pain Management

Short-term use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) like ibuprofen may help reduce pain and swelling. However, long-term or excessive use may impair the healing process, so they should be used under medical supervision.

While conventional treatments are effective, many people are turning to acupuncture as a complementary therapy. Increasing scientific evidence suggests that acupuncture may play a valuable role in accelerating recovery from hamstring injuries.

How Acupuncture Works?

Acupuncture involves inserting very thin needles into specific points on the body. This practice is rooted in traditional Chinese medicine, but modern studies have begun to explain its effects from a physiological perspective.

Acupuncture Recovers Injured Muscles

Research published in Pain Medicine (2021) and The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine (2017) supports the following benefits of acupuncture for muscle recovery:

• Stimulates the release of endorphins and enkephalins, which are the body’s natural painkillers
• Enhances local blood circulation, improving oxygen and nutrient delivery to the injured muscle
• Reduces inflammation by modulating inflammatory chemical levels
• Relaxes muscle trigger points, easing tension and restoring mobility <— this is what we do very well at our clinic.

When to Consider It

Acupuncture is helpful if you have a grade 1 or mild grade 2 tear in the hamstring muscle. You can of course go to the physiotherapist, who may employ ultrasound, shockwave, dry needling and exercise-based approaches, but acupuncture can be very effective even if you are seeing a physiotherapist. Acupuncture is most significantly effective when:

• Pain is not fully relieved by medication
• Progress in rehab has plateaued
• Muscle tension or spasms persist despite stretching

When treating hamstring injuries with acupuncture, our certified acupuncturists choose specific points based on your pain location, muscle tension, and overall body condition. These points can help improve blood flow, reduce inflammation, and ease pain in the affected area.

Here are some commonly used acupuncture points for hamstring injuries:

1. BL36 (Chengfu)

Location: On the back of the thigh, in the center of the gluteal fold (where your leg connects to the buttock).

This point directly targets attachment of the hamstring muscle on the sit bones. It is often used to release tightness and relieve local pain, even when there is pain in the muscle belly (which is halfway down the thigh).

2. BL37 (Yinmen)

Location: On the back of the thigh, midway between UB36 and UB40.

This is where the belly of the Bicep Femoris is. It is also where the micro tears of the hamstring most commonly occur. We will locate the point and also needle around it if needed.

3. BL40 (Weizhong)

Location: At the back of the knee, in the center of the popliteal crease.

A major point for lower back and leg pain. It helps with circulation in the hamstrings, and also relaxes the hamstring tendons that attach below the knees.

4. GB34 (Yanglingquan)

Location: Below the knee, on the outer side of the leg.

Known as the “influential point” for tendons, GB34 is commonly used in musculoskeletal injuries to improve flexibility and reduce tension.

5. Ashi Points

Location: These are “tender points” or “trigger points” found during assessment, often located along the injured hamstring area.

These Ashi points are mostly found between BL36 and BL40. Many Ashi points are location in the vicinity of BL37. Needling directly into painful or tense spots can stimulate healing at the source of the injury.

Hamstring injuries are common, but they don’t have to sideline your life. With the right diagnosis, a structured rehab plan, and the right treatments, including complementary options like acupuncture, you can recover fully and get back to doing what you love.

Early care makes a difference. Don’t wait for the pain to become chronic or for re-injury to happen!

At Soma Clinic SG, we do really well using  acupuncture and dry needling to treat musculoskeletal conditions like hamstring strains and sports-related injuries. 

Schedule your consultation today and take the first step toward healing your hamstring!