A four-year study of hamstring prevention and treatment, commissioned by the NFL through a $4 million grant and led by University of Wisconsin researcher Dr. Bryan Heiderscheit, will conclude after this NCAA football season. More than 660 athletes from D-I programs at BYU, Notre Dame, Indiana, Wisconsin and North Carolina have had their baseline sprint mechanics studied and, upon suffering hamstring injuries, monitored via MRIs and strength tests.
Recurrence is all too common with hamstring injuries and recoveries.
“What we see consistently is it’s a double-edged sword,” Heiderscheit said. “In order to get back to full performance, you have to sprint as hard as you can. But to sprint as hard as you can, you have to be fully recovered.”
Heiderscheit recommends that athletes ensure their recovering muscles are well conditioned before ramping up activity. Research has found that athletes require 50% more energy in the muscle during acceleration from 80% to 100% full speed. The hamstring is particularly tricky because it crosses both knee and hip joints, which pull the muscle in different ways.
Knowledge of recovery has come a long way since Heiderscheit began studying the muscle strains in athletes over a decade ago.