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- Issue 47
- Can we modify maximal speed running…
Can we modify maximal speed running posture? Implications for performance and hamstring injuries management
Key Points
- This study demonstrated that a 6-week multimodal program developed desirable changes in the kinematics of amateur athletes.
BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVE
Hamstring injuries continue to provide a large time loss burden for a range of elite sports such as football and rugby (1). This is despite large volumes of research being performed recently, specifically looking at risk factors like eccentric hamstring strength and the influence of intervention on subsequent injury risk as well as performance (2, 3).
The influence of biomechanical corrections has been explored within the fields of groin pain and ACL injuries; however, this is lacking within the field of hamstring injury research. It could be theorized that greater anterior pelvic tilt would increase the strain at the proximal end of the biceps femoris, and subsequently increase the risk of injury at that site. Therefore, if the athlete can improve their gait cycle to run with a more upright trunk and a more neutral pelvis then it may decrease the strain on the biceps femoris.
This paper aimed to examine the ability of a 6-week multimodal intervention program to change pelvis and lower limb kinematics during maximal speed running.
The consistently high incidence of hamstring injuries, despite an ever-growing research base, is suggestive that it is not as simple as one exercise being sufficient for all settings and all athletes.
METHODS
The study recruited 15 amateur athletes without previous sprint-specific training experience and without injury that impacted their training in the previous 12 weeks. These athletes were split, with 8 subjects in the control group and 7 subjects placed in the