injuryupdate
07-01-2004, 01:01 PM
This was contributed (via email) by Dr Geoff Verrall:
From my personal experience and the experience of talking to athletes that remember (which is actually not that many) I think the problem (of hamstrings straining) is in swing phase. I actually think it is earlier in the swing phase than late swing with a "error" in the neuromuscular contraction that by late swing is hopelessly lost, incordinate and painful. However I think much of the damage is done as the muscle is in a very vulnerable position and is unable to relax when the foot strikes the ground. I understand there is conflicting laboratory data on this but believe that by late swing most of the force of the hamstring contraction has been already "handled" by the muscle and that in this phase the force is much less. So I believe that when the muscle is fatigued it absorbs less energy so there is progressively more force needing to be handled in late swing. This builds and builds until during a single contraction the force is unable to be handled earlier in the contraction and by late swing that damage is occurring (and hence the pained expressions start) and then when the athlete lands (contact) this compounds the damage. John Orchard and I are trying to look at this via video. I should say I am not an expert in this area but having been a sufferer of this injury a few times I can relate to the thought process of bugger something's wrong then bugger something's hurting and then bugger I should have dived and not landed on my leg as that made it ten times worse.
From my personal experience and the experience of talking to athletes that remember (which is actually not that many) I think the problem (of hamstrings straining) is in swing phase. I actually think it is earlier in the swing phase than late swing with a "error" in the neuromuscular contraction that by late swing is hopelessly lost, incordinate and painful. However I think much of the damage is done as the muscle is in a very vulnerable position and is unable to relax when the foot strikes the ground. I understand there is conflicting laboratory data on this but believe that by late swing most of the force of the hamstring contraction has been already "handled" by the muscle and that in this phase the force is much less. So I believe that when the muscle is fatigued it absorbs less energy so there is progressively more force needing to be handled in late swing. This builds and builds until during a single contraction the force is unable to be handled earlier in the contraction and by late swing that damage is occurring (and hence the pained expressions start) and then when the athlete lands (contact) this compounds the damage. John Orchard and I are trying to look at this via video. I should say I am not an expert in this area but having been a sufferer of this injury a few times I can relate to the thought process of bugger something's wrong then bugger something's hurting and then bugger I should have dived and not landed on my leg as that made it ten times worse.