Hamstring injuries in athletes: a current approach to the diagnosis and treatment

João Pedro Pereira Moutinho, 2018

Muscle injuries are the most frequent traumas occurring in sports, and among those, the hamstrings are the most commonly affected. Hamstring injuries often cause pain and dysfunction, as well as the inability to return to practice and competition. The severity of the injury determines the management and the amount of time an athlete must take off, which can be very costly to his career. An appropriate diagnosis and treatment is crucial for optimizing the recovery and minimizing the time spent inactive. Most injuries have an indication for being managed conservatively and studies have shown very positive outcomes. The use of growth factors to aid muscle rehabilitation has been growing in popularity – Platelet-rich plasma, platelet-rich fibrin and corticosteroids have been the subject of many recent studies on this matter. Up to this point, platelet-rich plasma has shown the most promising results in aiding the non-operative treatment. The rehabilitation should be injury tailored and have a progressive increase in intensity, range of motion and eccentric resistance, and end with neuromuscular control and sports specific exercises. In this article, we set to review the current approach to diagnosing and managing a hamstring injury in athletes.  

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