Q: I am a 19-year-old female and have been experiencing pain in my right leg. It started as a twinge on the back of my thigh. Then my leg began to feel like it was going to sleep all the time, and my toes got cold. Now my calf muscles are aching and twigging. At first I thought I could be having a hamstring injury after I recently jumped from my car but there was no sudden pain from that. It started hurting the next night. Please help.

A:It appears from your symptoms that you had a strain or a stretch of the hamstrings muscle. People commonly call such an injury a pulled muscle. Your hamstring muscle group is in the back of your thigh, and allows you to bend your knee. It is made up of three large muscles: the biceps, semimembranosus, and semitendinosus. Hamstring muscle strain usually occurs when these muscles are contracted forcefully during activities such as running or jumping as you probably did. Treatment of Hamstring strain is applying ice packs to your hamstrings for 20-30 minutes every 3-4 hours for 2-3 days or until the pain goes away. Elevating your leg by placing a pillow underneath it and sometimes wrapping an elastic bandage around your leg can be helpful. If it is too painful take some anti-inflammatory medications. A hamstring strain is best prevented by warming up properly and stretching your hamstring muscles prior to your activities. This is especially important in jumping.