Health, Exercise, and Sports Sciences ETDs

Publication Date

9-3-2013

Abstract

Twenty-one percent of hurdlers and sprinters (22 of 106 athletes) from a Division 1 University Track and Field team sustained hamstring strains in the 2010 season preventing practice and competition. Functional hamstring to quadriceps strength ratio was measured to study muscular imbalances in these athletes. The hypotheses were: 1) Athletes with previous hamstring injuries have a greater chance of subsequent hamstring injury whether or not they have a functional ratio deficit than those who dont have a history of hamstring injuries; 2) Athletes with a functional hamstring to quadriceps ratio deficit at pretest will have a higher occurrence rate of hamstring injury during the study than those without a deficit. A sample size of fifteen (8 females and 7 males; 18 years +) volunteered. No athlete had a recent history (within 12 weeks) of lower extremity injury. The PrimusRS isokinetic testing produced the eccentric hamstring (30 deg/s) and the concentric quadriceps (240 deg/s) muscle contractions for functional ratio. A Pearson correlation analyses found a moderate correlation between the pretest functional ratio deficit of the right/left leg and previous hamstring injuries and low correlation between the pretest functional ratio deficit of the right/ left leg and injuries sustained during the study. Majority of athletes with a previous history of hamstring injury had a functional ratio deficit.

Keywords

hamstring, quadriceps, track and field athletes

Document Type

Thesis

Language

English

Degree Name

Physical Education

Level of Degree

Masters

Department Name

Health, Exercise, and Sports Sciences

First Committee Member (Chair)

Wilmerding, Mary Virginia

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