Hamstring Rehabilitation

About a month and a week ago I pulled hard on a left heel hook to top out on a boulder I was working outside. After I pulled hard and stood up to top out, I felt a slight warmth and dull pain in my hamstring while walking off. Since then, I haven't been able to heel hook with my left leg indoors and outdoors without a decent amount of pain located in my hamstring just a couple inches above my knee in the back of my leg. I have tried icing, resting for multiple days, and also various workouts like leg curls with an exercise ball, but have not formed a concrete plan to rehab it. What is even more curious is I can squat and it doesn't hurt, bike to university every day with no pain, and do many other hamstring involved things without discomfort–but heel hooking specifically aggravates it quite a bit. I can climb perfectly fine and toe down without pain on boulders, but I need to heel hook if I'm gunna take down my projs!!! Please someone help me formulate an easy to follow restrengthening program to treat this, it is so annoying.  

Check out this excellent article: Hamstring Injuries in Climbers, by Natasha Barnes

FWIW a few months back I got what it appears Natasha would diagnose as a grade I muscle strain in my left hamstring from a particularly aggressive and high heel hook (I never heel hook in training, oops on my part).  I thought it was minor and re-injured it again from trying that same move again too soon after the injury, then did the same thing a few weeks later.  I then accepted reality and got to work on it.

I used my essential oil mix at first to reduce inflammation and increase circulation, and after about a week I started doing pistol squats and deadlifts (alternating days) post climbing.  After a few weeks of that, when my hamstring could take a load again with minimal pain and without having significantly more pain the day after the workout, I started using a machine at the gym I go to which targets the hamstrings.  This machine is just a chair to sit in with a bar that goes across the back of the calfs/ankles, and another bar which goes across the tops of the thighs, and which you curl your legs back like a bicep curl but for the hamstrings.  I have had good success with this, and after about three weeks of doing 2 sets of 8-10 reps every other climbing day I am now back to heel hooking with no increased pain.  Given this is nearly identical to Natashas program, I feel confident the program she has designed is a great option for you.  Also check out her recent blog posts about handling training stress, as there is (IMO) loads of great info in those posts, which I can validate from personal experience.  Good luck with your injury :)

Thank you so much! I actually stumbled upon this a couple days ago and started exactly from where you describe. I have implemented the PT after the Mon-Wed-Fri training sessions I have post-bouldering.

Pistol Squats, leg curls, and theraband workouts.
Guess I’ll just have to be patient and keep at it. Much appreciated!