What exercises are suitable after a leg muscle injury?

Photo of a woman doing a mobilization exercise

It is important to first rest your leg for one or two days after a muscle strain injury affecting your thigh or calf. After that it’s best to slowly start doing mobilizing exercises, and then gradually increase the intensity. You can start with normal use in daily life and in sports shortly after that.

Muscle strain injuries usually heal by themselves, with no need for medications or surgery. After a short rest, it is a good idea to start off with adapted exercises and not to keep your leg still for too long at a time. Carrying out the exercises cautiously can help the muscles to regenerate. It is important that you’re able to do the exercises with nearly no pain. A mild twinge is not a problem.

The load put on the muscle is then gradually increased. Along with exercises to improve strength and mobility, exercises to stabilize the torso and improve physical awareness can be a good idea. They are also important to prevent more injuries, because the risk of having another muscle strain is particularly high after a recent muscle injury. You can talk to your physical therapist or doctor to find out which exercises are suitable for you.

Exercises that stretch the muscle while it is being contracted are referred to as “eccentric” exercises. That can help to strengthen the leg muscles, for instance. Eccentric exercises are very often used to treat muscle injuries: They are suitable both for gradually increasing the stress put on the muscle following an injury as well as for preventing (repeat) muscle strains.

You can try out the following eccentric exercises if you have an injury on the back of your thigh (hamstring) – you won't need any special equipment or other knowledge.

Exercise 1: Hamstring slider

For this exercise you will need:

  • A smooth floor surface like tile, laminate or parquet flooring
  • A small cloth such as a cotton or microfiber washcloth, or a cleaning cloth

1. Lie down on your back with both legs bent and your feet flat on the floor. Place the cloth under the foot of the injured leg.

2. Lift your bottom as far towards the ceiling as possible.

3. Slide the heel of the injured leg on the cloth away from your bottom until your leg is almost straight. Do not put weight on your leg when doing that and take 3 seconds for that movement. Make sure that the bent leg doesn’t wobble to the side and that your bottom stays off the floor.

4. Briefly lower your bottom back down.

5. Quickly pull your heel back up and return to position 2: Both legs are bent and your bottom is as high up in the air as possible.

Repeat this exercise about 6 to 8 times. Then do two more sets of 6 to 8 repetitions each with short breaks between the sets.

Exercise 2: The airplane

1. Stand up straight, with your arms stretched out to the side, and put your weight on the injured leg.

2. Slowly tilt your upper body forwards while lifting your healthy leg backwards at the same time. Your upper body and healthy leg should be in a straight line at all times. Keep the leg you’re standing on as straight as possible. Take 3 seconds to do this exercise. Only lean your upper body as far forward as you can while keeping your back straight and tensed.

3. Quickly straighten your upper body again and return to the starting position.

Repeat this exercise about 6 to 8 times. Then do two more sets of 6 to 8 repetitions each with short breaks between the sets.

Kieb M, Lorbach O, Engelhardt M. Muskelverletzungen: Diagnostik und Behandlungen. Orthopade 2010; 39: 1098-1107.

Müller-Wohlfahrt HW, Ueblacker P, Hänsel L. Muskelverletzungen im Sport. Thieme; 2018.

Riepenhof H, McAleer S, Delvescovo R et al. Sportverletzungen - Möglichkeiten und Grenzen der konservativen Therapie. Trauma und Berufskrankheit 2018; 20: 265-271.

Rodgers CD, Raja A. Anatomy, Bony Pelvis and Lower Limb, Hamstring Muscle. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2022.

Van der Horst N, van de Hoef S, Reurink G et al. Return to Play After Hamstring Injuries: A Qualitative Systematic Review of Definitions and Criteria. Sports Med 2016; 46(6): 899-912.

IQWiG health information is written with the aim of helping people understand the advantages and disadvantages of the main treatment options and health care services.

Because IQWiG is a German institute, some of the information provided here is specific to the German health care system. The suitability of any of the described options in an individual case can be determined by talking to a doctor. informedhealth.org can provide support for talks with doctors and other medical professionals, but cannot replace them. We do not offer individual consultations.

Our information is based on the results of good-quality studies. It is written by a team of health care professionals, scientists and editors, and reviewed by external experts. You can find a detailed description of how our health information is produced and updated in our methods.

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Created on June 25, 2024

Next planned update: 2027

Publisher:

Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG, Germany)

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