An Academy Award winner for The Hours (2002), Nicole Kidman is used to the pressures that come with filming big blockbuster motions. Even her delve into TV shows has been a huge success, just look at the popularity of HBO’s Big Little Lies. Yet, entering older age, the 55-year-old might want to be more careful about pushing her physical body to its limits.
While recording for the Amazon series Expats, which is based on the 2016 Janice Y.K. Lee novel The Expatriates, a pre-existing injury resurfaced.
During the TV production, which follows the lives of three expatriate women living in Hong Kong, Kidman’s hamstrings were torn.
“Under doctor’s orders”, according to Variety, Kidman went back to her home in Nashville to rest up and take it easy.
Kidman, however, has multiple upcoming projects, including Aquaman 2 (2023), Spellbound (2023), and Faraway Downs (a date is yet to be announced).
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A hamstring injury
The NHS says: “A hamstring injury is a strain or tear to the tendons or large muscles at the back of the thigh.”
There are three severities of a hamstring injury:
- Grade one – a mild muscle pull or strain
- Grade two – a partial muscle tear
- Grade three – a complete muscle tear.
“The length of time it takes to recover from a hamstring strain or tear will depend on how severe the injury is,” the NHS adds.
A grade two or three hamstring injury, for example, can take several months to recover from.
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Understandably, such an injury can be seen as an inconvenience, especially for a woman like Kidman who is working on numerous films and TV series, alongside being a mother-of-four and being a supportive spouse.
The NHS adds that a “recurring injury” can be “common”, as “you’re more likely to injure your hamstring if you’ve injured it before”.
How to know if you’ve done a hamstring injury
Mild hamstring strains (grade one) will “usually cause sudden pain and tenderness at the back of your thigh”.
A grade two injury is “usually more painful and tender” that can lead to swelling and bruising.
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In addition, some of the strength in the back of the leg might have been lost.
For severe, grade three hamstring injuries, they will be “very painful, tender, swollen and bruised”.
The impact will be severe enough that you will be unable to walk with ease, or stand.
“There may have been a ‘popping’ sensation at the time of the injury and you’ll be unable to use the affected leg,” the health body highlights.
Health experts recommend using the “RICE” strategy to help care for an injury.
- Rest
- Ice
- Compression
- Elevation.
Painkillers can also be utilised to help manage painful symptoms.
Nicole Kidman stars in Paddington, which is airing on BBC One, Saturday, September 17 at 7:05pm.
