Estimation of Tensile Force in the Hamstring Muscles during Overground Sprinting

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to identify the period of the gait cycle during which the hamstring muscles were likely injured by estimating the magnitude of tensile force in each muscle during overground sprinting. We conducted three-dimensional motion analysis of 12 male athletes performing overground sprinting at their maximal speed and calculated the hamstring muscle-tendon length and joint angles of the right limb throughout a gait cycle during which the ground reaction force was measured. Electromyographic activity during sprinting was recorded for the biceps femoris long head, semitendinosus, and semimembranosus muscles of ipsilateral limb. We estimated the magnitude of tensile force in each muscle by using the length change occurred in the musculotendon and normalized electromyographic activity value. The study found a quick increase of estimated tensile force in the biceps femoris long head during the early stance phase of the gait cycle during which the increased hip flexion angle and ground reaction force occurred at the same time. This study provides quantitative data of tensile force in the hamstring muscles suggesting that the biceps femoris long head muscle is susceptible to a strain injury during the early stance phase of the sprinting gait cycle.

Sprint Acceleration Mechanics: The Major Role of Hamstrings in Horizontal Force Production

“…Therefore, as Figure 3 shows, and as indicated in previous studies (e.g., Kyrölainen et al, 2005 ; Chumanov et al, 2011 ; Higashihara et al, 2014 ), the high EMG activity of the hamstring muscles during the swing and especially end-of-swing phases of the sprint step cycle (compared to the subsequent stance phase) might induce a more effective backward horizontal push. Similarly, the fact that the eccentric torque capability of the hamstring muscles was more clearly related to F H than the concentric one is likely due to the need for a high level of force in order to decelerate the violent knee extension occurring at the end of the swing (Chumanov et al, 2011 ; Higashihara et al, 2014 ; Ono et al, 2015 ), and generate the subsequent powerful backward motion of the lower limb prior to ground contact (and the associated braking GRF) in only a few tenths of a second time.…”

“…Finally, our methods included surface EMG and isokinetic testing as a way to experimentally inform on the level of muscular activity during the sprint, and on the global level of (eccentric and concentric) torque capability of the muscles groups tested, respectively. This is of course less accurate than direct measurements of activation and force at the muscle level, and does not reproduce sprint-specific conditions (e.g., knee flexion tested in marked hip extension while seated), but those measurements over the entire course of maximal sprint accelerations are currently not possible, hence the numerous modeling simulation studies published on this topic (e.g., Ono et al, 2015 ).…”

“…Vertical GRF and EMG signals for the right leg were time synchronized on LabChart 7.3, EMG activity of each muscle was quantified using the root mean square (RMS) with a 20-ms moving window, and recorded during the following phases of the running cycle for the right leg: (i) first half of the stance phase, (ii) entire stance phase as detected by a 30-N threshold, (iii) entire swing phase (from foot takeoff to the subsequent landing of the same foot), and (iv) end-of-swing phase, defined as the aerial phase (no foot-ground contact) preceding the stance phase (Figure 1 ). As for previous sprint studies (Jönhagen et al, 1996 ; Kyrölainen et al, 2005 ; Higashihara et al, 2010 ; Dorel et al, 2012 ; Ono et al, 2015 ), and according to Burden ( 2010 ), RMS data for all phases were normalized to MVIC data obtained with the following procedure.…”

“…Finally, and interestingly, the sole fact that hamstring injuries are the most frequent lower limb muscle injury occurring during sprinting tasks presupposes the importance of this muscle group when the goal is to develop high speed and/or accelerations (e.g., Ekstrand et al, 2011 ; Feddermann-Demont et al, 2014 ). Although the exact moment of occurrence is debated (i.e., end of swing or stance phase: Heiderscheit et al, 2005 ; Chumanov et al, 2007 , 2011 , 2012 ; Yu et al, 2008 ; Schache et al, 2011 ; Orchard, 2012 ; Higashihara et al, 2014 ; Ono et al, 2015 ), most muscle strains share the sprint action as the main injury mechanism (Arnason et al, 2004 ; Woods et al, 2004 ; Ueblacker et al, 2015 ). Moreover, researchers aiming to quantify sprint running mechanics in athletes recovering or having recovered from a recent hamstring injury showed that one of the mechanical features of their running pattern differing from uninjured counterparts is altered F H production (Brughelli et al, 2010 ; Mendiguchia et al, 2014 ).…”

Joint Torque and Mechanical Power of Lower Extremity and Its Relevance to Hamstring Strain during Sprint Running

“…On the other hand, hamstring strain injury is one of the most common injuries during sprinting [20, 21]. However, the underlying mechanisms of these injuries are still ambiguous, because most studies are based on the clinical muscle strain assumption [22].…”