What Are the Consequences of Hamstring Injuries on Soccer Players' Match Running Performance? A Systematic Review.

Abstract

Context: When soccer players reach high speeds, the hamstring complex is exposed to injury, with sprinting being the mechanism for 70% of injuries suffered in this muscle group.

Objective: To examine and summarize the impact of hamstring injuries on match running performance in elite male soccer players.

Data sources: An electronic database search (Web of Science, Scopus, SportDiscus, and PubMed) was conducted (until December 12, 2023).

Study selection: Potential studies were searched by using the following keywords: "monitoring," "quantification," "hamstring injuries," "injuries," "recovery," "rehab," and "return to play." The next criteria were also added: professional male soccer, studies reported pre- to postinjury values, included data from matches.

Study design: Systematic review.

Level of evidence: Level 3.

Data extraction: A total of 4082 papers were reviewed and after 2 screening phases, only 5 papers were selected.

Results: A total of 169 hamstring injuries were analyzed (from 18 to 72 in each included study), and a total of 136 matches were included (from 10 to 81 in each included study). This review showed that high-speed running (HSR) distance was the variable reported most frequently. Overall, a decrease in match running performance was found after hamstring injuries compared with baseline values.

Conclusion: Hamstring injuries impact negatively on soccer players' physical performance, particularly in variables related to HSR. These findings have implications for practitioners regarding the management of player participation after returning to play in terms of volume (ie, minutes), but should be taken with caution due to the limited number of studies included in the present systematic review.