Hamstring injuries are still the number one injury suffered by elite athletes across a majority of sports. Despite the prevalence of these types of injuries, finding good quality information on prevention and treatment that is effective enough to not only enable the player to return to activity, but also to prevent re-injury, can be difficult given the huge amount of information that’s out there.
Well, we’ve done the hard work for you and we’ve tracked down five of the best articles, videos, and blog posts on current treatment and prevention recommendations:
This study by La Trobe University looks at the current treatment methods for hamstring injury including Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) injections and whether or not they are useful in treatment. Overall, they still outline prevention as being key for hamstring injuries, citing exercises such as the Nordic Hamstring exercises at the top of their list.
As the title suggests, this article focuses on how to prevent hamstring re-injury. Outlining the risks associated with repeat injury if the initial injury is not properly rehabilitated, recommendations made here include strengthening pelvic supporting muscles, ensuring that the body’s biomechanics are working properly, and wearing compression garments specifically made for preventing and recovering from injury.
This article focuses on injuries amongst Australian Rules Football elite players, saying that a combined personalised treatment plan as well as the use of MRI’s to diagnose severity of strains has been a key factor in preventing hamstring re-injury
In this study, researchers evaluate cutting edge treatment involving Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP). The study outlines recommended usage and confirmed the safety of PRP in treating hamstring lesions in a large series of professional football players. PRP-treated lesions did not heal more quickly than untreated lesions described in the literature, but they showed a smaller scar and excellent repair tissue.
This video is not for the faint of heart! An excerpt from the Sports Medicine Congress in 2016, this hour long video outlines the current treatment and prevention protocols in elite athletes. Treatment of acute hamstring muscle injuries. Presenters include:
- Carl Askling, Sweden: Treatment of acute hamstring muscle injuries
- Craig Purdam, Australia: Treatment of Chronic hamstring injury and tendinopathies
- Per Hölmich, Denmark: Treatment of proximal hamstring avulsions