TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2023//
TI  - The effects of high-velocity hamstring muscle training on injury prevention in football players
JO  - Frontiers in physiology
A1  - Kamandulis, Sigitas
A1  - Cadefau, Joan Aureli
A1  - Snieckus, Audrius
A1  - Mickevicius, Mantas
A1  - Lukonaitiene, Inga
A1  - Muanjai, Pornpimol
A1  - Satkunskienė, Danguole
A1  - Molina, Victor
A1  - de Blas Foix, Xavier
A1  - Conte, Daniele
SP  - e1219087
EP  - e1219087
VL  - 14
IS  - 
N2  - BACKGROUND: Explosive and fast body movements, sprints, jumps and quick changes of direction, which are characteristic of the football training, place considerable strain on the hamstring muscles. Due to the high occurrence of hamstring injuries, new preventive strategies are required that focus on high-velocity training. The purpose was to assess the effectiveness of high-velocity elastic-band training in reducing the occurrence of hamstring injuries in football [soccer] players. <br><br>METHODS: Male football players from 15 teams (n = 319) playing in national competitions participated in this study. The players were involved in a 5-week exercise period in either the intervention group (INT) or the control group (CON), with a follow-up period of ∼4 months where hamstring injuries and exposure time were recorded. The INT group had two to three sessions per week of elastic-band training with low-load, high-velocity leg curls while lying prone; the CON group performed self-paced football-specific drills. <br><br>RESULTS: The incidence rate of hamstring injuries was 6.5% in the INT group (8 out of 123 players) and 9.2% in the CON group (18 out of 196 players). Although the INT group showed almost 1/3 reduction in hamstring injury incidence compared to the CON group, the difference was not statistically significant (p > 0.05). Moreover, no differences (p > 0.05, odds ratio [OR] = trivial-to-small) in distribution between the groups were found in hamstring injury characteristics (leg dominance and mechanism) except for the distribution of injuries that occurred during matches or training (p = 0.036; OR = 6.14, moderate). <br><br>CONCLUSION: The program of high-velocity elastic-band training did not prove to be effective in preventing hamstring muscle injuries in football players despite displaying some positive indications that could be considering when creating injury prevention programs.<p />  <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 1664-042X
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2023.1219087
ID  - ref1
ER  -