Nine Facts/Tips about Hamstring Injuries in Soccer Players

Posted by Orthopaedic Specialists

When it comes to sports injuries, hamstring injuries in soccer players are very common.  As a board certified sports medicine doctor, Stacie Grossfeld M.D. has treated many soccer players suffering from hamstring injuries.

According to the American Journal of Sports Medicine, hamstring injuries are the most common type of sports injury. Hamstring strains are often caused by sprinting. And once you injure your hamstring, the rate of re-injury is estimated to be over 15 percent.

If you are an athlete, educating yourself about hamstring injuries is a good idea. Follow along for facts and tips about hamstring injuries in soccer players. And keep in mind that this information could really apply to all athletes.

Nine Facts/Tips on Hamstring Injuries in Soccer Players

  1. Hamstring strains are the single most common sports injury in the male soccer player.
  2. Your hamstring is made up of three muscles/tendons: the biceps femoris, the semitendinosus and the semimembranosus.
  3. The most common tendon/muscle injury within your hamstring is your biceps femoris.
  4. Your hamstring muscles are most likely to sustain injury during explosive running accelerations and kicking activities. This is because of the high biomechanical Soccer Players Hamstring Injury Factsdemands placed on the muscle tendon unit throughout the front swing phases in running and kicking.
  5. Researchers currently think that the biceps femoris is the most commonly injured muscle in the group of your hamstring muscles/tendon because of the way it is shaped and the amount of stretch and load that occurs during the front swing kicking or running.
  6. Research has also proven that when the three muscle bellies: biceps femoris, semitendinosus, and semimembranosus are not capable of engaging in a synergistic adequate contraction, it may cause one of the muscles to fatigue prematurely and cause the injury to occur.
  7. The important risk factor for sustaining a hamstring strain injury is the presence of having a prior hamstring strain injury.
  8. The risk of sustaining a second hamstring injury is more than twice as high as the risk of sustaining a third hamstring injury.
  9. Prevention for hamstring injuries can occur through strengthening of the hamstring muscles/tendons with a weightlifting regimen.