in Diagnose & Treat, Improve, Leg injuries, Overuse injuries
Achilles tendinopathy is a common yet complex condition to treat. New findings suggest subgrouping patients could enhance treatment and recovery. Tracy Ward recaps tendon pathology and explains how subgrouping athletes may improve clinical outcomes. Achilles tendinopathy (AT) is one of the most common overuse injuries, with a prevalence rate of approximately 10%(1). The injury usually... MORE
in Email Newsletters, Leg injuries, Musculoskeletal injuries
Paper title: Complete resolution of a hamstring intramuscular tendon injury on MRI is not necessary for a clinically successful return to play. Publication: British Journal of Sports Medicine 2021;55:397-402. Publication date: April 2021. INTRODUCTION Hamstring injuries make up a significant percentage of acute, sports-related musculoskeletal injuries. There is ongoing debate regarding the return to play (RTP) decision-making criteria. The... MORE
in Leg injuries, Musculoskeletal injuries, Prevent
Hamstring injuries frequently plague soccer players. Andrew Hamilton looks at potential screening tests to identify athletes at an increased risk of hamstring failure and determines their worth to those seeking to avoid this debilitating injury. Hamstring strain injuries (HSIs) are one of the most common soccer injuries(1). Research suggests that HSIs account for around one... MORE
in Email Newsletters, Leg injuries
Athletes who play field sports that require repetitive sprinting are susceptible to suffering a hamstring strain. For the various elite football and rugby codes, a protracted hamstring injury can sideline a player for a significant amount of time, impacts team performance, and results in monetary losses. Therefore, hamstring strain prevention is a salient topic in... MORE
in Email Newsletters, Leg injuries, Prevent
Studies looking at muscle activation often rely on surface electromyography (sEMG) readings to determine muscle functionality. New technology, however, enables scientists to get a more accurate picture of muscle contractions. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) provides a better measurement of muscle activation by recording the T2 relaxation time of tissue water. Scientists from Australia used... MORE
in Diagnose & Treat, Leg injuries
Tracy Ward presents a criteria-based rehabilitation plan for returning to sport post-adductor injury and how this protocol can reduce days lost to injury. Athletes forced into isolation and withdrawn from contact exposure due to COVID-19 face an uphill challenge to return to professional levels of play and competition. With soccer as one of the first... MORE
in Diagnose & Treat, Leg injuries
Although rare, herniation of the tibialis anterior muscle may be more common than previously thought. Andrew Hamilton explores the causes, diagnosis, and treatment options for this injury. Muscle herniation, also known as a myofascial defect, is the protrusion of a muscle through the surrounding fascia. The most common location of muscle herniation is in the... MORE
in Diagnose & Treat, Leg injuries
The plantaris muscle and tendon are considered unnecessary for the biomechanical function of the lower limb. Yet this benign muscle can cause problems if ruptured or involved in a medial Achilles tendon injury. Chris Mallac explains why, and how to manage an injury to either. The plantaris muscle (PM) is a small, thin, and spindle-shaped muscle... MORE
in Anatomy, Leg injuries, Pre-hab and post-surgical rehab, Uncommon injuries
Chris Mallac looks at the etiology, diagnosis, and treatment options for proximal hamstring ruptures in athletes. Although an uncommon form of hamstring damage (only eight to 12% of all hamstring injuries), an untreated rupture at the muscle origin leads to significant functional debilitation(1-3). The actual incidence of undiagnosed rupture may be much higher, thus accounting... MORE
in Diagnose & Treat, Leg injuries, Musculoskeletal injuries
Tracy Ward examines the principles of standard hamstring rehabilitation, expands them to differentiate by anatomical location within the muscle group, and shows how this translates into more specific rehabilitation protocols. Hamstring injuries are the most common soft tissue injuries seen in team field sports and track. The very high rate of re-injury (as high as... MORE
