STUDY DESIGN: Resident's case report BACKGROUND: There have been only a few case reports in the literature mentioning sciatic nerve injury following a hamstring tear. In previous cases surgical intervention was performed to debride scar tissue around the sciatic nerve with the goal of full return to function for the patient. OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this case report is to describe the conservative interventions that allowed for recovery from a hamstring tear with sciatic nerve involvement. CASE DESCRIPTION: The subject was a 53 year old female who developed foot drop and weakness in the common fibular nerve distribution following a grade 3 hamstring injury sustained during Nordic skiing. Nerve function and strength gradually returned over the course of several months of conservative rehabilitation which included on neural gliding and strengthening exercises. OUTCOMES: At 18 months post injury, the subject had returned to 95% of full sport function and 98% of full function with activities of daily living, as rated by the Hip Outcome Scale, and had full strength with manual muscle testing. Isokinetic testing revealed strength deficits of 11-23% in knee flexion peak torque at 60 degrees/second and 180 degrees/second respectively. DISCUSSION: Sciatic nerve injury is a rare, but important potential consequence of severe hamstring strains. Clinicians should be cognizant of the potential injury to the nerve tissue following hamstring strains, so they may be dealt with in a prompt and appropriate manner. The use of neural gliding may be worth considering for a prophylactic effect following hamstring strains.
STUDY DESIGN: Resident's case report BACKGROUND: There have been only a few case reports in the literature mentioning sciatic nerve injury following a hamstring tear. In previous cases surgical intervention was performed to debride scar tissue around the sciatic nerve with the goal of full return to function for the patient. OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this case report is to describe the conservative interventions that allowed for recovery from a hamstring tear with sciatic nerve involvement. CASE DESCRIPTION: The subject was a 53 year old female who developed foot drop and weakness in the common fibular nerve distribution following a grade 3 hamstring injury sustained during Nordic skiing. Nerve function and strength gradually returned over the course of several months of conservative rehabilitation which included on neural gliding and strengthening exercises. OUTCOMES: At 18 months post injury, the subject had returned to 95% of full sport function and 98% of full function with activities of daily living, as rated by the Hip Outcome Scale, and had full strength with manual muscle testing. Isokinetic testing revealed strength deficits of 11-23% in knee flexion peak torque at 60 degrees/second and 180 degrees/second respectively. DISCUSSION: Sciatic nerve injury is a rare, but important potential consequence of severe hamstring strains. Clinicians should be cognizant of the potential injury to the nerve tissue following hamstring strains, so they may be dealt with in a prompt and appropriate manner. The use of neural gliding may be worth considering for a prophylactic effect following hamstring strains.
Authors: Bryan C Heiderscheit; Marc A Sherry; Amy Silder; Elizabeth S Chumanov; Darryl G Thelen Journal: J Orthop Sports Phys Ther Date: 2010-02 Impact factor: 4.751
Authors: Lasse Lempainen; Ingo J Banke; Kristian Johansson; Peter U Brucker; Janne Sarimo; Sakari Orava; Andreas B Imhoff Journal: Knee Surg Sports Traumatol Arthrosc Date: 2014-02-21 Impact factor: 4.342
Authors: Gabriel Amorim Ramos; Gustavo Gonçalves Arliani; Diego Costa Astur; Alberto de Castro Pochini; Benno Ejnisman; Moisés Cohen Journal: Rev Bras Ortop Date: 2016-12-15