Rehabilitation and return to sport after hamstring strain injury

Lauren N. Erickson, Marc A. Sherry

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

74 Scopus citations

Abstract

Hamstring strain injuries are common among sports that involve sprinting, kicking, and high-speed skilled movements or extensive muscle lengthening-type maneuvers with hip flexion and knee extension. These injuries present the challenge of significant recovery time and a lengthy period of increased susceptibility for recurrent injury. Nearly one third of hamstring strains recur within the first year following return to sport with subsequent injuries often being more severe than the original. This high re-injury rate suggests that athletes may be returning to sport prematurely due to inadequate return to sport criteria. In this review article, we describe the epidemiology, risk factors, differential diagnosis, and prognosis of an acute hamstring strain. Based on the current available evidence, we then propose a clinical guide for the rehabilitation of acute hamstring strains and an algorithm to assist clinicians in the decision-making process when assessing readiness of an athlete to return to sport.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)262-270
Number of pages9
JournalJournal of Sport and Health Science
Volume6
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - Sep 2017

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2017

Keywords

  • Acute
  • Muscle
  • Performance
  • Physical therapy
  • Re-injury
  • Recurrence
  • Thigh

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Orthopedics and Sports Medicine
  • Physical Therapy, Sports Therapy and Rehabilitation

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