Physical Therapy Elmwood Park

Injury Risk Assessment is Key to Preventing Hamstring Tears

If you have been watching the 2014 World Cup Games, you have become more aware of how hamstring injuries have impacted the United States men’s team. Forward, Jozy Altidore suffered a significant hamstring tear in just the first game of pool play against Ghana that put him on the shelf for the rest of the tournament.

Hamstring injuries are one of the top four time loss injuries in soccer with groin strains and ligament injuries to the knee and ankle. The number one risk factor of any injury is a history of a previous injury. So if you have injured your hamstring before, your chance of another strain is markedly greater (6-8 times) than your teammate with no prior history.

Other factors include strength imbalances and flexibility issues. This is where a good prevention program can come into play. The first component of a prevention program is an injury risk assessment. An analysis of movement patterns is performed and scores are prepared based on research proven data.

By Jim Neilan, VP of Sports Medicine at SportsCare Institute

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