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Severe Hamstring injury/avulsion

Posted , 3 users are following.

Tracey_Jane_B
Tracey_Jane_B

Does anyone who has suffered the above live in the UK ?

I have just returned to England having pulled all 3 hamstrings from the bone in a waterski accident .

I can't believe this has happened to me and am normally an optimist but feel really concerned over what this means. I saw an Orthapaedic consultant who didn't give me a lot of hope as he said it was very rare and not a lot of people can help with surgery. I had a scan today and have to go back for the prognosis on Tuesday. Following the scan I was due to go for physio but told not to by radiologist due to severity of injury ie all hamstrings are off the pelvis. They could nt give more detail but said the consultant would look at the scan and check on the gap. I don't know how best to support my injury in the interim.

I'm on crutches and resting at home with pain relief. Any suggestions what will help at this stage or recommendations of surgeons /sports medicine doctors /consultants..? I think I need a specialist in this injury. Feeling desperate and very worried how long this will take to recover if ever?

I am a very busy mum of 3 children and work full time and can't drive or walk right now

Any hope of realistic advice you can give?

Would love to hear from anyone that could help From tracey

0 likes, 31 replies

31 Replies

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  • veeayvee
    veeayvee Tracey_Jane_B

    Posted

    Hi Tracey, I am in the UK and have two hamstrings completely avulsed with a 4cm retration. I knew something was very wrong directly after my accident but have had one hell of a time getting it diagnosed. I fell out running October 2014. 

    I have done heaps of research on this injury and would say that you almost certainly should have surgery. The general guidelines for surgery are 2 or more hamstrings avulsed and 2cm or more retraction. I guess that yours are going to be fairly retracted if all 3 are detached. 

    The huge problem for us in the UK is the lack of surgeons with expereicne in this operation. I have found someone who has been trained in this operation but he has not actually done the op for a few years. His name is Mr James Carmichael and he is based in Peterborough. If you find anyone with experience I would be very grateful for the name.

    My particular issue is that due to the length of time since the accident and the eventual diagnosis the operation will be more difficult and with a lower chance of success due to scarring and other factors. However, if I do not have the op-eration my leg will always be weak and sitting will be painful. Also I am a competitive cyclist, competing at world level so really need to get my leg back.

    I found a thread on Runners World with people with experience of this injury. About half had had a repair and were mostly pleased and about half had not and although they were able to get back to running their speed had been impacted. Unfortunately most of these people seemed to be in America where it is easier to find someone to operate.

    If we can pool our resources in hunting out a surgeon that would be good. I have just messaged a friend of mine who is a surgeon to ask if there is anyway of finding someone with experience. I will let you know if I hear anything useful.

     

  • Tracey_Jane_B
    Tracey_Jane_B

    Posted

    Thank you everyone who is following this thread.

    I feel really shocked that there may not be a surgeon to help in the UK, my consultant indicated as much saying it was so rare but I didn't really understand. I feel I'm in a nightmare at the moment.it happened 8 days ago and I can't walk without crutches and even so that's only a few steps indoors.

    I don't want to be written off because I'm nearly 50 and not an athlete. Apparently this is worse than breaking bones or having joint replacements?

    I have Bupa but they are closed until Monday. No one seems to know a specialist that could help. I will be searching and searching and will keep in touch. Even if I have to travel overseas. I'm not an old lady yet and don't want to give up, but I'll never want to Waterski again. I'd be happy to be able to walk upstairs right now

    • veeayvee
      veeayvee Tracey_Jane_B

      Posted

      You will be able to walk again without an operation but your leg will always be weaker and possibly unstable. I have two avulsed and the third damaged and I can walk. Never, had crutches or anything, just hobbled arouhd at home for a bit to start with. I think it was a couple of weeks before I could get one foot actually in front of the other to take proper steps but they were still very short ones! The worst thing at the start was sitting on the loo, very painful!!. I have seen on other threads advice to purchase a shewee for post surgery, wish I had thought of it when I got injured. 

      Tendon injuries are a much longer rehab than boken bones whether you have surgery or not. If I had broken my leg it would be all healed and I would be back in full training by now. I have recently had a rotator cuff repair, which is fixing tendons back to bone in your shoulder. The recovery and rehab from this was slow and it will be exactly the same for hamstring tendons. It takes 3 months for any tendon to heal back to the bone because of poor blood supply so you have to be very careful about putting stress on the tendon for at least 3 months. After 3 months you can start to work on strengthening. Generally they say to allow around 6 months for full recovery but for some people it can be a year. 

      I know how you are feeling, I have gone from being a fit athlete to walking around like other 60 year olds!

  • Tracey_Jane_B
    Tracey_Jane_B

    Posted

    Does anyone know what it costs in France or USA to operate on the Hamstrings?
    • veeayvee
      veeayvee Tracey_Jane_B

      Posted

      I would be interested to know that too. Unfortunately I do no have private health insurance though. 
    • Tracey_Jane_B
      Tracey_Jane_B veeayvee

      Posted

      I was googling surgeons and found one online in the UK calked Andrew Barnett in Shropshire

      It's the weekend now so can't do a lot until Monday

      So I'm just doing as much research as I can in the interiim and hope to find a specialist consultant to discuss the MRI with

      I doubt Bupa will pay for surgery outside the UK

      I will keep in touch

    • veeayvee
      veeayvee Tracey_Jane_B

      Posted

      Just looked at Andrew Barnett's CV. I see that he did a fellowship at the Sydney Sports Injury Clinic which is the the same fellowship that James Carmichael in Peterborough did. It was whilst there that he got his experience of hamstring avulsion repair so they have had the same training. James Carmicahel has only done about 3 or 4 of these operations in the UK and none in the past ouple of years. I would be interested to know how many Barnett has done since training. If you are able to speak to him, please will you let me know, saves us both digging out the same information. Many thanks in advance.
    • Tracey_Jane_B
      Tracey_Jane_B veeayvee

      Posted

      I will let you know

      I will be researching and looking for help all day today

    • veeayvee
      veeayvee Tracey_Jane_B

      Posted

      I am doing the same thing and likewise, if I find anyone else with experience in this injury I will let you know. Two heads are better than one.

       

  • veeayvee
    veeayvee Tracey_Jane_B

    Posted

    Here is the link to the long thread on the Runner's World forum. It has been going fo a while and it would seem that most of the people on it are in the US but there is some useful information on there. Worth reading through when you have time Tracy.

    http://community.runnersworld.com/topic/hamstring-avulsion-complete-rupture?page=1

    • Tracey_Jane_B
      Tracey_Jane_B veeayvee

      Posted

      I've found a surgeon and I'm going in today

      I've got complete avulsion of all 3 hamstrings, 2.5 cm and a 10x5 Haematona

      He gave me a balanced argument for and against surgery and I'm really nervous about it but everyone tells me I should go ahead

      I'm being scanned for Dvt first

      It's 12 days after my accident and I only needed 2 painkillers yesterday instead of 8

      However I'll be back in them tonight

    • veeayvee
      veeayvee Tracey_Jane_B

      Posted

      Hope all goes well for you. I was going to post the names of some surgeons that I have found but it sounds like you found sosmeone. 

      I have just started and FB page for people with this injury. Please join and post to let everyone know about your experiences. If we can share information and support each other through this it will be good for everyone with this unusual injury.

      The page is called 'Proximal Hamstring Injury and Surgery'

      Get well soon

    • Tracey_Jane_B
      Tracey_Jane_B veeayvee

      Posted

      I'm not on FB as never had time before with 3 children and full time job..now I'm home for 3 months I'll probably get Facebook later this week.

      My Surgeon was Mr Giles Stafford and some others were also recommended to me by the Orthopaedic consultant I saw initially.

      It's 4 days post surgery now, surgeon said the Op went well and I'll see him in 10 days for a follow up.

      I've got a calf to knee brace fixed at a set angle for 4 wks and lots of pain relief. Impossible to sit in a chair or on a toilet due to the fact I can't bend my knee and have stitches across right buttock

      So I spend most of my time horizontal apart from the difficult journey up and downstairs with the help of my husband.i have also moved around carefully on crutches a little to avert clits and DVT's

      I'm really hoping this works and I get my leg and life back

      How are you?

    • Tracey_Jane_B
      Tracey_Jane_B

      Posted

      What part of the UK do you live

      Without compromising your address I wondered if we were anywhere near each other?

      I'm in South west London

    • veeayvee
      veeayvee Tracey_Jane_B

      Posted

      I'm in Lincolnshire. Getting pretty tired of the pain. I am thinking that I must have some damage on the other sides as well becuase I have constant pain on tht side too and it is actually worse than the officilly diagnosed tormn side. Trying to get my head round the fact that I will probably never be able to return to world level cycling competition. 

      Unfortunately I don't have medical insurance and it seems that the earliest I could get operated on is around three months from now, it is driving me up the wall. 

      Did you see the tip on Runners World regarding using a Sheewee post surgery. I plan to get one.

    • Tracey_Jane_B
      Tracey_Jane_B veeayvee

      Posted

      The shee wee may not work for both options when you need the loo?I have got two portable commodes which can sit over your own toilet but higher up as I can't bend my knee nor sit down , you can buy from Amazon but our local hospital/district nurse brought one round free.still very difficult though..

      Could you go see an orthapaedic consultant/sports injury consultant direct to get his prognosis then check cost if you were to go private

      Mine said he wouldn't consider the op 4 weeks down the line and ideally should be in the first 6 weeks

      He said I would fix without surgery however couldn't change my mind later to have it if I didn't recover.

      I'm not as sporty or competitive as you but was worried if I'd torn all muscle off I wouldn't recover property. I couldn't walk or weight bear 10 days after the accident and everyone around me thought it was the best option, I hope so.. It's a long recovery but I hope it will be worth it..

      My surgeon fit me in with 48 hrs notice and offered me another option a week later, I was given 2 other names for the same op

      I don't know how much it costs if you pay but if you find the best surgeon to consult with first you can consider the rest later.

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