Astragalus membranaceus extract for sports-related hamstring injuries: A therapeutic analysis with MRI

Abstract

Objective

The aim of this study was to investigate the feasibility of Astragalus membranaceus extract (AME) in promoting acute sports-related hamstring muscle repair using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

Materials and methods

Sixty patients with acute hamstring muscle injuries were randomly assigned to three groups: natural healing group (NH group), corticosteroid treatment group (CC group), and AME injection treatment group (AME group), with 20 patients in each group. MRI was employed to analyze the location, extent, and grading of injuries. The levels of serum lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), creatine kinase (CK), malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD), peak torque (PT), maximum repetition work (MRW), total work (TW), and average power (AP) were assessed for each treatment group.

Results

MRI examination revealed muscle injuries in 47 cases (78.3 %), primarily manifested as intermuscular effusion, and tendon injuries in 13 cases (21.7 %), characterized by increased signal intensity or complete rupture. After treatment, overall intergroup comparison revealed a statistically significant difference in injury grade distribution (χ² = 6.235, P = 0.044), a significant difference in injury grade improvement the AME group and the NH group (χ² = 4.127, P < 0.05). The rates of favorable outcomes in the NH, CC, and AME groups were 65.0 %, 80.0 %, and 90.0 %, respectively. Compared with the CC group, the AME group exhibited reduced serum levels of LDH, CK, and MDA, increased SOD levels, and elevated PT, MRW, TW, and AP levels (P < 0.05).

Conclusion

MRI assessment confirmed that AME treatment significantly accelerated functional recovery, reduced markers of muscle damage and oxidative stress, and improved MRI-assessed injury grades more effectively than both natural healing and corticosteroid injections.