It’s always tough to decide on whether or not to go under the knife, and accept virtually any kind of surgery due to the complications that can happen either right after, or down the road.
In my program, I have a specific hamstring exercise I like to do, and there are new ones showing how to isolate the hams with large medicine balls, etc. The latter seem more targeted towards women than men, but those who use the machines, or the extremes such as the dead lift whereby we’re bending over with a barbel (I like to suggest this exercise be reserved for the pro bodybuilders, etc) may be prone to injury if the movement is not performed slowly and with care.
An interesting new development has occurred in the area of hamstring injuries, whereby it has been determined by an Ohio State University study that hamstring injuries had a better chance at healing follwoing surgery, as compared to physical therapy. The article found in the International Journal of Sports Medicine suggests that patients can literally get all the way back to pre-injury ability, when using this route to recovery.
With most lower back injuries, for instance, the general consensus is to go with physical therapy for as long as possible to help obtain results, over surgery that often requires maintenance after about ten years. For the record, I have known a good number of people who have had great success with back surgery, without this disadvantage, but apparently stats suggest otherwise. And I personally chose to use the physical therapy and/or supplement and time route, with great success as well. My injury was a substantial herniation of the L5-S1, and on two different occasions; the first took three months and specific supplementation, the second time around took about a week with different supplements that dramatically and quickly reduced the inflammation. Some of this info can be found on my youtube channel and at the Maintenance Motions site.
Love, Happiness, Health and Peace…………..Tim