Open Surgical Repair of Proximal Hamstring Tears Results in High Rates of Hamstring Strength Recovery and Return to Preinjury Activity.
- 1Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, College of Medicine Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University Dammam Saudi Arabia.
- 2Division of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Ottawa The Ottawa Hospital Ottawa Ontario Canada.
- 3Department of Orthopaedic Surgery King Fahad Hospital Al Hofuf Saudi Arabia.
Abstract
Purpose
To evaluate the clinical and patient-reported outcomes after open operative management of proximal hamstring ruptures.Methods
Retrospective chart review was completed for patients who underwent open surgical repair of a proximal hamstring rupture at a single academic center (The Ottawa Hospital) with a minimum of 1-year follow-up between June 2017 and August 2022. Demographic, injury, and surgical data were collected. Patient-reported outcomes, including the Lower Extremity Function Score and International Hip Outcome Tool, at final follow-up were collected and analyzed for all patients.Results
A total of 41 patients (58.5% men) with a mean age of 49.5 ± 11.7 years (range: 20-70 years old) with a mean follow-up of 46.8 ± 17.6 months (range 13-74 months) were included in the study. The most common mechanism of injury (31.7%) was a fall while skating or skiing. A 3-tendon injury was the most common pattern (82.9%), with the majority being retracted at least 6 cm (51.2%). Postoperative complications were observed in 12.2% of patients and included sensory nerve injury, repair failure, and postoperative admission for intractable pain. Most patients regained full hamstring strength (87.8%) and returned to preinjury activity levels (70.7%), with a mean follow-up of 46.8 months. Patient-reported outcomes at final follow-up were excellent, as 87.8% of the patients scored >90 on Lower Extremity Function Score and 82.9% scored >90 on International Hip Outcome Tool.Conclusions
In this study, patients who underwent open surgical repair of proximal hamstring tendon avulsion had high rates of hamstring strength recovery and return to preinjury activity, with favorable patient-reported outcomes and low complication rates.Level of evidence
Level IV, therapeutic retrospective study.
Related
- Smaller Ischiofemoral Space Is Associated With Proximal Hamstring Injuries
- Patients Undergoing Proximal Hamstring Repair Have High Rates of Return to Work and Favorable Outcomes: A Systematic Review.
- Early Versus Delayed Repair of Proximal Hamstring Tendon Ruptures: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis
- Measuring eccentric hamstring strength in senior athletes: reference values, age and sex associations, and limb asymmetry.
- Beyond mid-thigh: Ultrasound assessment of hamstring muscle architecture at multiple muscle lengths in relation to strength
BibTeX
@article{alzahrani2026open,
title = {{Open Surgical Repair of Proximal Hamstring Tears Results in High Rates of Hamstring Strength Recovery and Return to Preinjury Activity.}},
author = {Mohammad Mesfer Alzahrani and Brendon Swift and Zaid A Alzaid and Abdulhamid Alyousef and Michael Pickell and Geoffrey P Wilkin and Steven R Papp and Allan S Liew},
journal = {Arthroscopy, sports medicine, and rehabilitation},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1002/ars2.70150},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42909891},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Open Surgical Repair of Proximal Hamstring Tears Results in High Rates of Hamstring Strength Recovery and Return to Preinjury Activity.
AU - Mohammad Mesfer Alzahrani
AU - Brendon Swift
AU - Zaid A Alzaid
AU - Abdulhamid Alyousef
AU - Michael Pickell
AU - Geoffrey P Wilkin
AU - Steven R Papp
AU - Allan S Liew
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/21
JO - Arthroscopy, sports medicine, and rehabilitation
DO - 10.1002/ars2.70150
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42909891
AB - Purpose To evaluate the clinical and patient-reported outcomes after open operative management of proximal hamstring ruptures.Methods Retrospective chart review was completed for patients who underwent open surgical repair of a proximal hamstring rupture at a single academic center (The Ottawa Hospital) with a minimum of 1-year follow-up between June 2017 and August 2022. Demographic, injury, and surgical data were collected. Patient-reported outcomes, including the Lower Extremity Function Score and International Hip Outcome Tool, at final follow-up were collected and analyzed for all patients.Results A total of 41 patients (58.5% men) with a mean age of 49.5 ± 11.7 years (range: 20-70 years old) with a mean follow-up of 46.8 ± 17.6 months (range 13-74 months) were included in the study. The most common mechanism of injury (31.7%) was a fall while skating or skiing. A 3-tendon injury was the most common pattern (82.9%), with the majority being retracted at least 6 cm (51.2%). Postoperative complications were observed in 12.2% of patients and included sensory nerve injury, repair failure, and postoperative admission for intractable pain. Most patients regained full hamstring strength (87.8%) and returned to preinjury activity levels (70.7%), with a mean follow-up of 46.8 months. Patient-reported outcomes at final follow-up were excellent, as 87.8% of the patients scored >90 on Lower Extremity Function Score and 82.9% scored >90 on International Hip Outcome Tool.Conclusions In this study, patients who underwent open surgical repair of proximal hamstring tendon avulsion had high rates of hamstring strength recovery and return to preinjury activity, with favorable patient-reported outcomes and low complication rates.Level of evidence Level IV, therapeutic retrospective study.
SN - 2666-061X
ER -