Running Propensities of Athletes with Hamstring Injuries

• Main Authors: Dai Sugimoto, Brian D. Kelly, David L. Mandel, Duncan A. d’Hemecourt, Sara C. Carpenito, Charles A. d’Hemecourt, Pierre A. d’Hemecourt
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2019-09-01
• Series: Sports
• Subjects: forward-trunk posture angles; oversride angles; foot strike patterns; mechanics
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4663/7/9/210

The current study aims to compare the mechanical propensities between healthy runners and runners with hamstring injuries. Retrospective case-control video analysis was used. A total of 35 (12 male and 23 female) videos of runners with hamstring injuries were compared with videos of sex-, age-, mass-, and height-matched healthy control runners. The main outcome variables were trunk posture angles, overstride angles, and foot strike patterns. An independent <i>t</i>-test and chi-squared tests were employed to analyze the main outcome variables between the runners with hamstring injuries and the healthy control runners. The statistical significance of less than 0.05 (<i>p</i> &lt; 0.05) was used. The runners with hamstring injuries had a 1.6° less forward-trunk posture angles compared with the healthy control runners (<i>p</i> = 0.043). Also, the runners with hamstring injuries demonstrated a 4.9° greater overstride angles compared with the healthy control runners (<i>p</i> = 0.001). Finally, the runners with hamstring injuries had a tendency of rearfoot strike, while the healthy control runners showed a forefoot strike pattern (<i>p</i> = 0.004). In conclusion, the runners with hamstring injuries demonstrated different running mechanical propensities compared with the healthy runners.