Eccentric Training: Preventing Hamstring Injuries

Hamstring injuries are a significant burden to sporting teams all over the world. In soccer alone there are between 20-37 injuries per 1000 match hours and 2.4-3.9 injuries per 1000 training hours (van der Horst, Smits, Petersen, Goedhart & Backx, 2015). It is even scarier to note that upwards of 20% of these injuries will reoccur (Bourne et al., 2017). However, recent research has focussed on the effects of eccentric training on the hamstring muscles with positive results. One particular exercise has been researched significantly in recent years in regards to reducing hamstring injury.... The Nordic. See the infographic from the paper by Petersen et al., (2011).

A 70% reduction in injuries is a significant reduction in injury rates which is fantastic!

Another interesting paper compared hip extension training and the nordic hamstring curl and found that hip extensions preferentially trains the biceps femoris long head and semimembranosus whereas the nordic promotes more semitendinosus and short head biceps femoris hypertrophy. This indicates in an ideal program, both eccentric training through knee flexion and hip extension is essential.

References:

Bourne, M., Timmins, R., Opar, D., Pizzari, T., Ruddy, J., & Sims, C. et al. (2017). An Evidence-Based Framework for Strengthening Exercises to Prevent Hamstring Injury. Sports Medicine, 48(2), 251-267. doi: 10.1007/s40279-017-0796-x

van der Horst, N., Smits, D., Petersen, J., Goedhart, E., & Backx, F. (2015). The Preventive Effect of the Nordic Hamstring Exercise on Hamstring Injuries in Amateur Soccer Players. The American Journal Of Sports Medicine, 43(6), 1316-1323. doi: 10.1177/0363546515574057