THe FUTUre OF sCieNCe iN a Field OF sHOrT HisTOrY

INTRODuCTION Hamstring injuries are among the most prevalent sports injuries, yet we are still faced with a lack of scientific knowledge on this topic. Despite the growing number of publications over the last 3 decades, our current knowledge on aetiology, prognosis and therapy is based on only 1000 published injuries. If we restrict ourselves to level 1 trials, then there are less than 200 injuries examined. Compared to 3 decades ago, our research has led to limited progress for the individual athlete: the injury and re-injury rate has not changed. In contrast, in medical conditions like Diabetes mellitus, millions of subjects have been described in the scientific literature. Even with the strong history of research in that area, these conditions are still the subject of on-going research as many questions have not yet been answered. The relatively short history of hamstring science places our challenges in perspective and should guide us to strengthen our academic base toward a brighter scientific future.