Repair of Proximal Hamstring Tears: A Surgical Technique

Abstract

Proximal hamstring tears are among the most common sports-related injuries. These injuries often occur as strains or partial tears at the proximal muscle belly or the musculotendinous junction, with avulsion injuries of the proximal attachment occurring less frequently. Regardless of the mechanism, they produce functional impairment and negatively affect an athlete's performance. Various classifications for these injuries are reported in the literature. Early surgical treatment is recommended for patients with either a 2-tendon tear/avulsion with more than 2 cm retraction or those with complete 3-tendon tears. Surgery can be performed in the chronic phase but it is technically demanding because of scar formation and tendon retraction. This Technical Note describes a biomechanically validated surgical technique for repair of the proximal hamstring tears.