Characterization of acute effects of football competition on hamstring muscles by muscle functional MRI techniques

Muscle functional MRI identifies changes in metabolic activity in each muscle and provides a quantitative index of muscle activation and damage. No previous studies have analyzed the hamstrings activation over a football match. This study aimed at detecting different patterns of hamstring muscles activation after a football game, and to examine inter- and intramuscular differences (proximal-middle-distal) in hamstring muscles activation using transverse relaxation time (T2)-weighted magnetic resonance images. Eleven healthy football players were recruited for this study. T2 relaxation time mapping-MRI was performed before (2 hours) and immediately after a match (on average 13 min). The T2 values of each hamstring muscle at the distal, middle, and proximal portions were measured. The primary outcome measure was the increase in T2 relaxation time value after a match. Linear mixed models were used to detect differences pre and postmatch. MRI examination showed that there was no obvious abnormality in the shape and the conventional T2 weighted signal of the hamstring muscles after a match. On the other hand, muscle functional MRI T2 analysis revealed that T2 relaxation time significantly increased at distal and middle portions of the semitendinosus muscle (p = 0.0003 in both cases). By employing T2 relaxation time mapping, we have identified alterations within the hamstring muscles being the semitendinosus as the most engaged muscle, particularly within its middle and distal thirds. This investigation underscores the utility of T2 relaxation time mapping in evaluating muscle activation patterns during football matches, facilitating the detection of anomalous activation patterns that may warrant injury reduction interventions.