Low Pre-Season Hamstring-to-Quadriceps Strength Ratio Identified in Players Who Further Sustained In-Season Hamstring Strain Injuries: A Retrospective Study from a Brazilian Serie A Team
Filipe Veeck,
Cassio V. Ruas,
Matheus Daros Pinto,
Rafael Grazioli,
Gustavo Pacheco Cardoso,
Thiago Albuquerque,
Lucas Schipper,
Henrique Gonçalves Valente,
Victor H. Santos,
Márcio Dornelles,
Paulo Rabaldo,
Clarice S. Rocha,
Bruno Manfredini Baroni,
Eduardo Lusa Cadore,
Ronei Silveira Pinto
Affiliations
Filipe Veeck
Exercise Research Laboratory, School of Physical Education, Physiotherapy and Dance, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre 90690-200, Brazil
Cassio V. Ruas
Brazilian Institute of Neuroscience and Neurotechnology, Institute of Physics Gleb Wataghin, University of Campinas, São Paulo 13083-854, Brazil
Matheus Daros Pinto
School of Medical and Health Sciences, Edith Cowan University, Joondalup 6027, Australia
Rafael Grazioli
Exercise Research Laboratory, School of Physical Education, Physiotherapy and Dance, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre 90690-200, Brazil
Gustavo Pacheco Cardoso
Medical and Technical Department, Grêmio Foot-Ball Porto Alegrense, Porto Alegre 90250-590, Brazil
Thiago Albuquerque
Medical and Technical Department, Grêmio Foot-Ball Porto Alegrense, Porto Alegre 90250-590, Brazil
Lucas Schipper
Medical and Technical Department, Grêmio Foot-Ball Porto Alegrense, Porto Alegre 90250-590, Brazil
Henrique Gonçalves Valente
Medical and Technical Department, Grêmio Foot-Ball Porto Alegrense, Porto Alegre 90250-590, Brazil
Victor H. Santos
Medical and Technical Department, Grêmio Foot-Ball Porto Alegrense, Porto Alegre 90250-590, Brazil
Márcio Dornelles
Medical and Technical Department, Grêmio Foot-Ball Porto Alegrense, Porto Alegre 90250-590, Brazil
Paulo Rabaldo
Medical and Technical Department, Grêmio Foot-Ball Porto Alegrense, Porto Alegre 90250-590, Brazil
Clarice S. Rocha
Exercise Research Laboratory, School of Physical Education, Physiotherapy and Dance, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre 90690-200, Brazil
Bruno Manfredini Baroni
Physical Therapy Department, Federal University of Health Sciences of Porto Alegre, Porto Alegre 90050-170, Brazil
Eduardo Lusa Cadore
Exercise Research Laboratory, School of Physical Education, Physiotherapy and Dance, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre 90690-200, Brazil
Ronei Silveira Pinto
Exercise Research Laboratory, School of Physical Education, Physiotherapy and Dance, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre 90690-200, Brazil
A common pre-season injury prevention assessment conducted by professional football clubs is the hamstring-to-quadriceps (H:Q) strength ratio calculated by peak torque (PT). However, it is debatable whether players that present low pre-season H:Q ratios are more susceptible to further sustaining in-season hamstring strain injuries (HSI). Based upon retrospective data from a Brazilian Serie A football squad, a particular season came to our attention as ten out of seventeen (~59%) professional male football players sustained HSI. Therefore, we examined the pre-season H:Q ratios of these players. H:Q conventional (CR) and functional (FR) ratios, and the respective knee extensor/flexor PT from the limbs of players further sustaining in-season HSI (injured players, IP) were compared to the proportional number of dominant/non-dominant limbs from uninjured players (UP) in the squad. FR and CR were ~18–22% lower (p p = 0.002). Low scores of FR and CR were correlated (p < 0.01) with high levels of quadriceps concentric PT (r = −0.66 to −0.77). In conclusion, players who sustained in-season HSI had lower pre-season FR and CR compared to UP, which appears to be associated with higher levels of quadriceps concentric torque than hamstring concentric or eccentric torque.
