Quick Vlog on Mobility and Flexibility
3 ‘S for enhanced Mobility.
Soft tissue (foam roll and flossing)
Stretching
Strengthening
Physiotherapy
Hamstring (Prehab and Rehabilitation)
Hamstring Function and Mechanics
Mobility and Stretching exercises for Warm up (Prehab and Rehabilitation)
Strength Exercises
The Stubborn Hamstring II
Hamstring injuries are one of the most common injuries sustained in sports, especially those which involve sprinting, accelerating and deceleration! Gaelic Football is Ireland’s national sport. It can be described as a high intensity, high-velocity, multidirectional, contact field game requiring speed, strength and agility (Mc Intyre, 2005).
The movements required in Gaelic football are very similar to that of other field based sports. There is therefore a close correlation between Gaelic, football and AFL injury incidences and injury pattern.
The work by Ekstrand J (2009) (Football), Murphy et al (2012) (Gaelic Football) and Orchard M.J (2014) (AFL) supports this. These studies show that Hamstring strains and tears are the most prevalent and common injury accounted for.
http://bjsm.bmj.com/content/45/7/553.abstract
(UEFA)
http://bjsm.bmj.com/content/36/1/39.full
(AFL)
Murphy et al (2012) conducted a four year prospective study, on the incidence and rate of injury in Gaelic games. It is the largest study to date in the GAA. Murphy noted that over a four year period on 851 inter county footballers, 1014 injuries occurred in 587 participants. The resulting rate of players sustaining an injury over a four year period was 69 %, nearly three quarters of the participants in the study. (Murphy et al, 2012).
The Key Points from his study are as follows;
•Muscle injury was the most common type of injury in Gaelic Games accounting for 42.6% of all injuries
•The average time lost for injury was 19.7 days
•The Hamstring was the most prevalent injury recorded over the four year period accounting for 24 % of all injuries
Murphy et al(2012)
From the research based above on Football, Gaelic and AFL, we gather that there is most definitely a need to focus specifically on strengthening the Hamstring muscle group.
As a physiotherapist and S&C coach , we can do this by implementing strategies and exercises into our gym programmes ,warm ups and rehabilitation.
In trying to reduce the number of initial and recurrent hamstring strains in football, prevention of initial injury is paramount.
It all Started with a Hamstring
I remember the day that Michael Owen, my childhood hero,stumbled as if he was shot in his stride, as if it were yesterday.It was April 12th 1999, Owen was gliding past defenders in the red Liverpool shirt as he often done so majestically in his career as a footballer. All of a sudden he hopped,skipped and jumped clutching his right leg, and to everyone watching his face said it all! Owen tore a hamstring for the first time playing for Liverpool at Leeds when aged just 19. Owen’s blistering pace was lost in full throttle that day, an injury that would go down in his own words “to compromise his career”.
Owen’s hamstring tear was the first injury I had ever witnessed in sport, it grabbed my attention for a little more than a minute as a ten year old kid. Little did i know at the time, I would be following the career path in preventing and managing such injuries. When i look back , it is certainly plausible the deep concern I had for my childhood hero, and how he could back in action for Liverpool as soon as possible sparked such interest.
Hamstring injuries are common and have a high re-injury rate so prevention is very important. There are multiple things that can place players at increased risk and these can be modified. Players at risk should be specifically targeted but all players need to dedicate themselves to injury prevention strategies. Pelvic control, strength and flexibility are just as important as hamstring strength, endurance and flexibility.
Hip Mobility Sequence incorporate into warm up (Gym sessions and field based sports)
This is a great example of a hip mobility sequence that could be used prior to a gym session for the lower body or for improving general flexibility and mobility in the hip joints.
Give it a try !!