Three years ago, I injured my left hamstring muscle while skiing. I didn’t have insurance at the time, so I opted to treat it with rest and stretching once it stopped hurting. It still bothers me, and there’s lots of sports stuff I can’t do because of it. Is it too late to have the operation now that I have insurance coverage?

You will need an orthopedic surgeon to evaluate your injury and make recommendations based on the findings. An MRI may be needed to see the condition of the soft tissues. Your symptoms and clinical presentation will help identify any additional problems such as nerve entrapment.

It’s not uncommon for the untreated torn hamstring tendon and muscle to retract. This means the tissue pulls away from the insertion point on the bone. Scar tissue and adhesions develop in the area. These two factors can increase the technical demands of surgery.

But studies do show that “better late than never” applies in this situation. Good-to-excellent results are possible for surgically treated chronic problems of this type. Many patients are able to get back to full activity of recreational sports. Beware that the delay does increase the chances of a poor result.