Forward, Jozy Altidore, suffered a hamstring strain against Ghana and has been out trying to recover in time for today’s game. Unfortunately, head Coach Jurgen Klinsmann, said that he is not going to be recovered enough for the game against Germany.
In local news, Sporting KCs Matt Besler who had left the match, against Ghana for a hamstring issue is still on the roster for the game against Germany. (Source)
So let’s cross our fingers, toes, arms and legs that we win or draw the game against Germany so we can see the US team advance. They have been playing tremendous ball!
Lets’ get down to brass tacks, what is a hamstring strain or injury?
The hamstring consists of three muscles which are located at the back of the thigh. These muscles allow you to bend your knee and extend the upper leg back. This set of muscle group allow you to stride out, along with the help of the quad muscles (the front thigh muscles).
“Most hamstring injuries respond well to simple, nonsurgical treatments.” –AAOS
Typically when an injury is sustained to the hamstrings you have pain in the back of the thigh, anywhere from the back of the knee, to the buttocks and anywhere in between.
The gold standard for mild to moderate hamstring injuries is the acronym RICE. Rest Ice Compression Elevation. Severe injuries would require a specialist evaluation and potential surgery if necessary. Again, most hamstring injuries do not require surgical intervention but rather RICE and rehab to get the athlete back to performance level.