PREVENTION OF HAMSTRING STRAINS IN ELITE SOCCER: AN INTERVENTION STUDY

▸ Arnason A, Andersen TE, Holme I, . Scand J Med Sci Sports 2008;18:40–8.

Background:

Hamstring injuries are common in elite soccer players — warm-up, flexibility training and eccentric strength training are commonly suggested to reduce the incidence of hamstring injuries in these players

Research question/s:

Does eccentric strength training or flexibility training reduce the incidence of hamstring strains in elite soccer players?

Methodology:

Subjects: Elite soccer players from 17–30 teams in two countries (Iceland and Norway)

Experimental procedure: Subjects were studied over a period of 4 years (1999–2002). In each year, hamstring strains and player exposure were registered. Observations in the first 2 years were used as a …