BACKGROUND Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) allows for detailed evaluation of hamstring injuries; however, there is no classification that allows prediction of return to play. PURPOSE To correlate time for return to play in professional football players with MRI findings after acute hamstring strains and to create an MRI scoring scale predictive of return to sports. STUDY DESIGN Descriptive...

BACKGROUND This study examined whether passive hamstring tissue stiffness and/or stretch tolerance explain the relationship between sex and hamstring extensibility. METHODS Ninety healthy participants, 45 men and 45 women (mean ± SD; age 24.6 ± 5.9 years, height 1.72 ± 0.09 m, weight 74.6 ± 14.1 kg) volunteered for this study. The instrumented straight leg raise was used to determine hamstrin...

Lasse Lempainen Surgical treatment of hamstring injuries and disorders – the clinical spectrum from chronic tendinopathy to complete rupture Mehiläinen Sports Trauma Research Center, Turku, Finland Department of Orthopedic Surgery and Traumatology, University of Turku, Turku, Finland Department of Surgery, Satakunta Central Hospital, Pori, Finland Hamstring muscle injuries and tendon disorders ...

The main purpose of the present meta-analysis was to examine the scientific literature on the criterion-related validity of sit-and-reach tests for estimating hamstring and lumbar extensibility. For this purpose relevant studies were searched from seven electronic databases dated up through December 2012. Primary outcomes of criterion-related validity were Pearson´s zero-order correlation coeff...

Much controversy exists regarding the potential advantages and disadvantages of various graft choices for anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction. Advocates of hamstring autografts often cite the limited apparent morbidity associated with semitendinosus or semitendinosus and gracilis harvest, including evidence that hamstring tendons may regenerate after harvest. In this article, we attempt t...

[Purpose] This study developed a pelvic wedge and belt and investigated their effects on the selective activation of medial and lateral hamstring muscles during knee flexion. [Subjects and Methods] Nine adults were enrolled. The participants performed exercises without and with the pelvic wedge and belt, and the electromyographic activities of the medial and lateral hamstring muscles were recor...

PURPOSE An understanding of hamstring mechanics during sprinting is important for elucidating why these muscles are so vulnerable to acute strain-type injury. The purpose of this study was twofold: first, to quantify the biomechanical load (specifically, musculotendon strain, velocity, force, power, and work) experienced by the hamstrings across a full stride cycle; and second, to determine how...

[Purpose] This study compared the efficacy of passive and active stretching techniques on hamstring flexibility. [Subjects] Fifty-four healthy young subjects were randomly assigned to one of three groups (2 treatment groups and 1 control group). [Methods] Subjects in the passive stretching group had their knees extended by an examiner while lying supine 90° of hip flexion. In the same position,...

BACKGROUND Hamstring strain and anterior cruciate ligament injuries are, respectively, the most prevalent and serious non-contact occurring injuries in team sports. Specific biomechanical and neuromuscular variables have been used to estimate the risk of incurring a non-contact injury in athletes. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to systematically review the evidences for the effectiveness...