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Int J Sports Med 2020; 41(08): 552-557
DOI: 10.1055/a-1028-7322
Orthopedics & Biomechanics

Is Biceps Femoris Aponeurosis Size an Independent Risk Factor for Strain Injury?

Sandro R. Freitas
1   CIPER, Faculdade de Motricidade Humana, Universidade de Lisboa, Estrada da Costa, 1499-002, Cruz Quebrada, Dafundo, Portugal
,
Filipe Abrantes
1   CIPER, Faculdade de Motricidade Humana, Universidade de Lisboa, Estrada da Costa, 1499-002, Cruz Quebrada, Dafundo, Portugal
,
Francisco Santos
1   CIPER, Faculdade de Motricidade Humana, Universidade de Lisboa, Estrada da Costa, 1499-002, Cruz Quebrada, Dafundo, Portugal
,
Vasco Mascarenhas
2   MSK Imaging Unit, Imaging Center, Hospital da Luz Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal
,
Raúl Oliveira
1   CIPER, Faculdade de Motricidade Humana, Universidade de Lisboa, Estrada da Costa, 1499-002, Cruz Quebrada, Dafundo, Portugal
,
Telmo Firmino
1   CIPER, Faculdade de Motricidade Humana, Universidade de Lisboa, Estrada da Costa, 1499-002, Cruz Quebrada, Dafundo, Portugal
3   Department of Human Performance, Sport Lisboa e Benfica, Lisboa, Portugal
4   Fisioterapia, Escola Superior de Saude do Alcoitao, Alcabideche, Portugal
,
Bruno Mendes
1   CIPER, Faculdade de Motricidade Humana, Universidade de Lisboa, Estrada da Costa, 1499-002, Cruz Quebrada, Dafundo, Portugal
,
Mauricio Cerda
5   Anatomy and Developmental Biology Program, Institute of Biomedical Sciences (ICBM), Faculty of Medicine, Universidad de Chile, Santiago de Chile, Chile
6   Biomedical Neuroscience Institute, Independencia 1027, Santiago, Chile
,
João R. Vaz
1   CIPER, Faculdade de Motricidade Humana, Universidade de Lisboa, Estrada da Costa, 1499-002, Cruz Quebrada, Dafundo, Portugal
7   Department of Biomechanics, University of Nebraska at Omaha, Omaha, United States
› Author Affiliations Funding This work is part of the HamStrong project, which is supported by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology under Grant PTDC/SAU-DES/31497/2017; and funded by national funds through Foundation for Science and Technology within the R&D 447 unit (UID / DTP / 00447/2019). MC is funded by FONDECYT 11161033, FONDEQUIP EQM140119, ICM P09-015-F, and DAAD 57220037 &57168868."
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Abstract

This study examined whether professional footballers with previous biceps femoris long head (BFLH) injury in the last 3-years present a smaller proximal aponeurosis (Apo-BFLH) size compared to footballers with no previous injury. We examined the Apo-BFLH and BFLH size using magnetic resonance imaging and tested the knee flexor maximal isometric strength in 80 thighs of 40 footballers. Apo-BFLH size parameters were processed using a semi-automated procedure. Outcomes were compared between thighs with (n=9) vs. without (n=71) previous BFLH injury. No differences were observed between injured and non-injured thighs for the Apo-BFLH and BFLH size parameters (p>0.05) except for Apo-BFLH volume, which was higher in the non-injured thighs of athletes with previous injury (3692.1±2638.4 mm3, p<0.006) compared to the left (2274.1±798.7 mm3) thighs of athletes without previous injury. A higher knee flexor isometric strength was observed in the injured limb of athletes with previous BFLH injury (196.5±31.9 Nm, p<0.003) compared to the left (156.2±31.4 Nm) and right (160.0±31.4 Nm) thighs of non-injured athletes. The present results suggest that BFLH proximal aponeurosis size should not be considered as an independent risk factor for strain injury.

Key words

hamstring - morphology - footballers - professional football - strain - tear

Supplementary Material



Publication History

Received: 00 00 2019

Accepted: 30 September 2019

Article published online:
14 April 2020

© Georg Thieme Verlag KG
Stuttgart · New York

 

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