 |
| Research Title: |
Risk factors for hamstring injuries in community level Australian football. |
| Type of Research: |
|
| Category: |
Conditioning
Preventative Techniques
Rehabilitation
|
| Keywords: |
Football
Hamstring
Quadriceps flexibility
Age-related injury
|
| Author(s): |
B J Gabbe, C F Finch, K L Bennell & H Wajswelner |
| Author(s) Bio Box: |
|
| Release Date: |
23 February 2006 |
| Research Summary/Text: |
Australian football requires frequent sprinting and kicking and there is a high incidence of hamstring injury. These injuries are often recurrent and result in considerable costs such as missed training time, unavailability for competition and treatment. Prevention of this injury is a priority for this sport at both the elite and community level.
Risk factors under investigation in this study were: age; playing experience; injury history; playing position; level of competition; off season training habits; preseason training habits; season training habits; protective equipment use; smoking history; and, warm up and cool down habits.
One hundred and twenty six adult amateur football players participated in the study. During the preseason subjects completed a series of musculoskeletal screening tests and a questionnaire. Injury surveillance and exposure data was collected during the rest of the season. Twenty players sustained a total of 26 hamstring injuries during the season. For all, a hamstring injury was the first sustained for the season and for most it was sustained during competition. Rapid acceleration during running or sprinting was the primary mechanism for injury.
|
| Research Objectives: |
To investigate potential risk factors for hamstring injury in community level Australian football players.
|
| Research Outcomes: |
Although risk factors could be identified using the prospective study design, causality itself could not be established. Age and quadriceps flexibility were significant independent predictors of hamstring injury in this study. As the body ages there are changes to muscle tissue leading to a reduction in muscle strength. This combined with age related denervation of muscle fibres may increase the risk of hamstring injury due to the workload placed on the hamstrings muscle group during Australian football.
|
| Research Implications: |
Although age has previously been identified as a risk factor for hamstring injury, quadriceps flexibility has not. The mechanism by which increased quadriceps flexibility would protect against hamstring injury is not clear but may involve alteration in the mechanics of running and sprinting. Most of the hamstring injuries in this study occurred during sprinting.
The findings of this study clearly identify older Australian football players as a key target group for hamstring injury prevention activities. Players aged 23 years or more were almost four times as likely as younger players to sustain a hamstring injury during the season. Stretching programs to improve quadriceps flexibility should be used to reduce injury risk.
|
|
|
|
|
|
