The relation between hamstring flexibility and hamstring injuries in male amateur soccer players

Abstract

absence or an early end of sports career. Identifying risk factors is an essential step to prevent hamstring injuries. Hamstring flexibility could play a major role in sprint type injuries, the most common of hamstring injuries in soccer. The aim of this study is to investigate the relation between hamstring flexibility and hamstring injuries in male amateur soccer players. In this prospective study, all participating players of first class amateur soccer teams in the Netherlands performed a Sit-and-Reach Test (SART) to measure their hamstring flexibility. Hamstring injuries were recorded in the following year by the paramedical staff. The analysis was performed using univariate and multivariate logistic regression. Adjustment was made for age and previous hamstring injuries. In this study, 470 amateur soccer players participated. The mean score on the SART was 21.0 centimeters. In the following year, 24 hamstring injuries were registered. Of these injuries, 17 were related to a sprint. No relation was found between hamstring flexibility and hamstring injuries when analyzed univariate (p=0.435) or multivariate (p=0.673). According to this study, there is no relation between hamstring flexibility and hamstring injuries. Age and previous hamstring injuries did not confound this relation. It is unlikely that limited hamstring flexibility, measured with the SART, can predict a hamstring injury in amateur soccer players. Other possible risk factors should be investigated to identify players at risk for hamstring injuries.