Limited Return to Preinjury Performance in NCAA Division I American Football Players With Hamstring Injuries

Area of Science:

• Sports Medicine
• Biomechanics
• Orthopedics

Background:

• Hamstring strains are prevalent injuries in elite athletes.
• The impact of hamstring strains on return to play in American football is not fully understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the effects of acute hamstring strains on return to play and athletic performance in NCAA Division I football players.
• To evaluate changes in velocity, workload, and acceleration post-injury.

Main Methods:

• Prospective data collection on hamstring injuries over 4 years in a single Division I football team.
• Utilized global navigation satellite system and local positioning system (GNSS/LPS) devices to track player movement.
• Compared pre- and post-injury performance metrics including high-velocity distance, maximal velocity, acceleration, and inertial movement analysis (IMA).

Main Results:

• All 25 analyzed hamstring injuries allowed return to play (mean 9.2 days).
• At mean 425-day follow-up, only 4 players fully recovered all pre-injury metrics; 8 players regained high-velocity maintenance.
• Significant differences were observed in high-velocity distance (722m vs 442m, P=.016) for players who did not reach pre-injury levels.

Conclusions:

• Return to play is possible after hamstring strains, but many athletes do not achieve pre-injury performance levels in velocity or acceleration.
• Significant deficits in performance metrics can persist for over 13 months post-injury.
• Further research is needed to improve hamstring injury prevention and rehabilitation strategies.