Abstract
Purpose
To demonstrate the potential for a simple clinical test of hamstring muscle strength to identify susceptibility to muscle strain injury.
Methods
A single-case design was used; specifically, an elite-level male Australian Rules football player performed bilateral isometric maximum voluntary contractions of the hamstring muscles on a weekly basis for a period of 5 weeks preceding a right hamstring muscle strain injury.
Results
Minimal asymmetry (no greater than ±1.2% difference) was evident in the hamstring isometric maximum voluntary contractions during the first 4 weeks, but 5 days prior to injury, the right hamstring isometric maximum voluntary contraction was reduced by 10.9% compared to the left.
Conclusion
Measuring asymmetry in isometric maximum voluntary contractions of the hamstring muscles may be a useful clinical test to identify susceptibility to muscle strain injury.
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Schache, A.G., Crossley, K.M., Macindoe, I.G. et al. Can a clinical test of hamstring strength identify football players at risk of hamstring strain?. Knee Surg Sports Traumatol Arthrosc 19, 38–41 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00167-010-1221-2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00167-010-1221-2