Biceps femoris muscle-tendon strain during an entire overground sprint acceleration: a biomechanical explanation for hamstring injuries in the acceleration phase

ABSTRACT

The objectives of this study were to analyse the peak muscle-tendon (MT) strain of the hamstring during an entire acceleration sprint overground and examine their relationship with relative joint angles and segment orientation in the sagittal plane, which are the direct causes of MT strain. Kinematic data were recorded using a 3D inertial motion capture system in 21 male semi-professional soccer players during 40-metre overground sprint. Scaled musculoskeletal models were used to estimate peak MT strain in the hamstring over 16 steps. Biceps femoris long head (BF^LH) exhibited the largest peaks in MT strain compared to semitendinosus (ST) and semimembranosus (SM) muscles across all the steps, with its overall strain decreased as the number of steps and maximum speed increased. Hip flexion angle was found to be a strong predictor (p < 0.001) of joint angles, being the orientation of the pelvis in the sagittal plane of the segment with the greatest influence (p < 0.001) on the peak MT strain of BF^LH during sprinting. The current study provides a biomechanical explanation for the high proportion of hamstring injuries in the acceleration phase of sprinting.

KEYWORDS:

• Running biomechanics
• musculoskeletal modelling
• motion analysis
• muscle injury
• hamstring injury

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to extend their sincere gratitude to the volunteer players for their dedication and cooperation in participating in this study. Additionally, the authors would like to express their appreciation for the valuable assistance provided by Adrian Moro, Carlos Santo Domingo and Pedro Moreno-Cabañas during the data collection process. Their contributions were instrumental in the successful completion of this research.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

The author(s) reported there is no funding associated with the work featured in this article.