The Proximal Hamstring Tendinopathy Group

The Proximal Hamstring Tendinopathy Closed Facebook Group and Page

Want to talk to other people with PHT and get more information about this frustrating injury?  Find us here:

 

The Proximal Hamstring Tendinopathy Help and Support Group

 

The Proximal Hamstring Tendinopathy Help and Support Page

 

 

Help With Sitting

Apart from the pain and frustration, one of the biggest challenges with proximal hamstring tendinopathy is sitting.

Your upper body weight pushes through your hamstring tendons.  However, your semimembranosus hamstring tendon is copping most of the pressure due to it’s position.

There’s three tendon parts attaching the three hamstring muscles to the ischial tuberosity (area of the pelvis).

My semimembranosus tendons (my case was bi-lateral) were the affected parts.  I had a paperless desk job.  So no reason to get up and walk about.  10 Hours of sitting a day plus driving to and from work equalled 12 hours of sitting.

After 3 months of the paperless job, my proximal hamstring tendons were a 7 – 8/10 on the VAS scale and I could hardly sit.  I continued to drive to work for another 6 months and stood at my desk all day.

Standing for long periods of time is not a good idea.  Too much of any activity will put a strain on groups of muscles and tendons, potentially causing more injuries.

I asked for a better chair and an up down desk which wasn’t forthcoming so had no option but to go off sick as I was unable to continue.

The next two years were spent standing as I could no longer sit down at all and having exhausted treatments available in the UK, after hours and hours of research, I flew to Finland and had a bi-lateral proximal hamstring tenotomy.

Don’t despair, most people recover before surgery becomes an option.  Surgery is the absolute last resort.

My surgery was successful.  Just a side note, Finland is a wonderful country and so too it’s people.  We had a great time and want to go back and see some more of it.

However, my re-hab at home was not so good so I’m still recovering…. forever hopeful.

There are things you can do to help you sit and ease your pain.

Sit on a thick spongy, pillow or cushion.  Carry this about with you.  Take it to work and use it for driving.  Heads-up here, obviously it puts you in a different driving position so take it easy to start with.  Take time to adjust.

You can buy a cushion/seat pad on Amazon designed for PHT.  There’s holes cut out for the sit bones (ischial tuberosities).  However, people have said it’s chance if the holes line up in the right position for your bone structure and it’s quite pricey.  On the flip side, others have found it helped with their recovery and rated it highly.

www.amazon.co.uk/WER-Tuberosity-Bones-Washable-Breathable-Travelling/dp/B01NCTEA1U/ref=sr_1_cc_1?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1535278928&sr=1-1-catcorr&keywords=ischial+tuberosity+cushions

As an alternative, people buy gardening kneeling cushions, measure up and cut their own holes.  This apparently has worked very well and is a cheaper option.

Another pain reliever is the Wondergel seat pad.  Community member recommeded:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/WonderGel-Wondergel-Doublegel-Seat-Cushion/dp/B00NOGIGKS

Don’t sit for longer than 15 – 20 mins without getting up and walking about.  This takes practice, especially at work.  You get into what you’re doing and before you realise, an hour or more has gone by.

Standing takes the pressure off your tendons, allowing blood through and walking about causes the blood to flow quicker, taking oxygen and nutrients to the injured area and toxins away.  However, standing all day isn’t good for you either so mix sitting, standing and walking about if you can.

Ask for or purchase an up/down desk.

This one has been recommended by a member of the Facebook PHT community:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Office-Fitness-Height-adjustable-Workstation-Adjustable/dp/B018M00VXA

Price £79.99 UK

If you want something ergonomic, portable and are concerned about the environment, try these natural products made by carpenters and cabinet makers and sold by Deskstand, Cape Town.  This company also comes recommended by a PHT member so tried and tested!

https://www.deskstand.com/

I noticed an improvement in the quality of my tendons after using a pillow.  They felt less ropy so these measures can help with recovery.

I also used a simple pacing and grading Word table after I hadn’t sat for two years.  If you don’t sit on your tendons, they  become deconditioned.  So I started at 30 seconds on a soft surface, then a minute and increased the time every two days by 30 seconds, until I reached 10 minutes.  Then I went up by a minute every two days and brought in a slightly harder surface alongside starting at 30 seconds with that.  If you don’t want this hassle, don’t stop sitting completely.

Keep your water levels up and don’t skip meals…. more reasons to get up.

Talk to other people with PHT to understand how they manage sittinghttps://www.facebook.com/ProximalHamstringTendinopathy

Hope this helps with improving your pain levels and your recovery.

 

Why Your Hamstring Tendinopathy Isn’t Getting Better Podcast

Maryke Louw, Sports Physiotherapist Discusses PHT With Brodie Sharpe of The Run Smarter Podcast Series

 

Why Your Hamstring Tendinopathy Isn’t Getting Better Podcast By Maryke Louw, sports physiotherapist and Brodie Sharpe – Host.
Podcast 50 minutes long.
Some of the areas covered are:
Compression and tendinopathy
Should you stretch
What exercises to start with and how to progress
Time frame for healing
Myths and beliefs

10 Years Of PHT With Vicki Smith Podcast

Podcast Hosted By Brodie Sharp Of The Run Smarter Podcast Series – 1 hour long

 

I’m the founder of the Proximal Hamstring Tendinopathy Help and Support Group and was invited to talk about  living with proximal hamstring tendinopathy for a decade by Brodie on his podcast series.   I discuss the causes of my PHT, the failed treatments I’ve had, sitting and the challenges of everyday life, mental health, surgery in Finland and supplements.

 

With the right clinician, most people recover within two years or less without the need for surgery.  Mine is an exceptional case.  I hope this podcast helps you feel less alone and isolated.

 

https://therunsmarterpodcast.libsyn.com/10-years-of-hamstring-tendinopathy-with-vicki-smith

 

The PHT support group is at www.facebook.com/proximalhamstringtendinopathy

 

Treating Proximal Hamstring Tendinopathy Video by Sports-injury-physio.com

Treating Proximal Hamstring Tendinopathy – Not Just For Runners

Maryke from Sports Injury Physio talks about why we develop PHT.   Maryke explains the causes and treatments, the effects of some inflammatory diseases, the menopause, relative rest and what exercises to do and why.

 

What Is Proximal Hamstring Tendinopathy…..

This website is dedicated to proximal hamstring tendinopathy.  There’s a link to a global Facebook community where people share their experiences and support each other.  You are not alone with this.  Talk to people who have successfully recovered from proximal hamstring tendinopathy and returned to running, sitting and a pain free life.

Proximal hamstring tendinopathy is a long name for a group of pathologies where changes have occurred to your proximal hamstring tendons, also known as high hamstring tendons.  These changes can either be inflammatory or degenerative and often both.  Partial tears are included in PHT 

The hamstring tendons connect the hamstrings to the ischial tuberosity part of the pelvis.  PHT causes a deep aching pain just under the glutes, where you sit. 

I’ve had this injury for some time and have created this website to share my experiences of PHT.

I’ll be talking about the treatments I’ve had, to help you recover faster and give you support along the way.

The road to recovery can be frustrating and testing to say the least.  It can take anything up to 2 years to recover.

Although we could all do without pain, the position of this particular tendinopathy can restrict your daily activities, especially sitting and bending.  It’s thought of as a runners injury but certainly isn’t exclusive to running.

Sitting, stretching and running tend to aggravate the tendons making them more painful.

Generally, this injury comes on slowly, presenting as mild pain at the top of the posterior thigh.  So good news – there’s an early warning to take action.

Sometimes, PHT can also be caused by a sudden acute injury.

If you’re feeling at your wits end, this can be fixed.

To connect with people with PHT, to find answers, feel supported and read recovery stories, visit the PHT Facebook page here .