Rethinking acute sports injuries: evidence for an overuse mechanism in hamstring and ACL injuries
The short answer
Are hamstring and ACL injuries truly sudden, or do they build up over time?
Many injuries we call sudden may actually build from repeated overload, so prevention should target accumulated strain, not just the moment it lets go.
ChallengesRead paper
Primary studyModerate evidence
Key points
- Damage often accrues over many sessions before the 'acute' rupture, challenging the purely traumatic view.
- Load monitoring and recovery may prevent more injuries than focusing on the final incident alone.
- Reframes hamstring and ACL injuries on a continuum with overuse conditions.
Source
doi:10.1111/sms.70146
Read the original paperClinically assessing this area? See the knee special tests.
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