Hamstring injuries and injury prevention strategies at elite male youth football academy level

Important steps to prevent hamstring injuries in youth athletes Hamstring strain injuries increased by 20% between 2016-2022 amongst elite male youth football players [1]. At the academy level, in a squad of 20 players, the risk of hamstring strain injuries (HSI) is approximately 4 (range: 2-7) for a muscle strain and 1.5 (range: 1-3) for muscle fibre / tendon ruptures per season. Muscle strains account for approximately half of all lower limb injuries in youth male footballers [2]. Hamstring strain injuries (31%) are the most common type of muscle injuries, with the long head of bicep femoris...