Indirect Structural Muscle Injuries of Lower Limb: Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Exercise

Abstract

Muscle injuries are the most common trauma in team and individual sports. The muscles most frequently affected are those of the lower limb, and in particular hamstrings, adductors, rectus femoris and calf muscles. Although several scientific studies have tried to propose different rehabilitation protocols, still too often the real rehabilitation process is not based on scientific knowledge, especially in non-elite athletes. Moreover, the growing use of physical and instrumental therapies has made it increasingly difficult to understand what can be truly effective. Therefore, the aim of the present paper is to review proposed therapeutic algorithms for muscle injuries, proposing a concise and practical summary. Following a three-phase rehabilitation protocol, this review aims to describe the conservative treatment of indirect structural muscle injuries, which are the more routinely found and more challenging type. For each phase, until return to training and return to sport are completed, the functional goal, the most appropriate practitioner, and the best possible treatment according to current evidence are expressed. Finally, the last section is focused on the specific exercise rehabilitation for the four main muscle groups with a structured explanatory timetable.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Patellofemoral Morphometry Reveals Age and Gender Variations in the Knees of Children and Adolescents

“…Clinically, in particular, in athletes with ha igh risk of injury, preventive rehabilitation training should be preceded by sex and age groups with a high probability of developing patella instability. [33,34] The study has a few limitations. First, as a large number of samples were included, the male-to-female ratio and the number of samples by age group differed in all age groups, but the difference was not statistically significant.…”

Effects of β-Hydroxy β-Methylbutyric Supplementation in Combination with Conservative Non-Invasive Treatments in Athletes with Patellar Tendinopathy: A Pilot Study

“…In addition to the exercise selected (25 °C decline squat), we have included stretching training because an impairment flexibility in the quadriceps [ 73 ] and hamstrings has been reported [ 73 , 74 ] in athletes with PT. Limited hamstrings flexibility has been proposed as a factor that increases knee extensor muscles to overcome the passive resistance offered by the hamstrings [ 75 , 76 ], whereas flexibility deficits in knee extensors have presented strong abnormalities in the patellar tendon [ 77 , 78 ]. Only one study to date [ 23 ], with a methodology similar to ours, has investigated the effectiveness of eccentric training with static stretching exercises in the management of PT for 4 weeks, obtaining a greater effect of reducing pain and improving function at the end of treatment and at the follow-up when the participants performed additional static stretching.…”

Patellar and Achilles Tendon Thickness Differences among Athletes with Different Numbers of Meals per Day: A Cross-Sectional Study

“…The extrapolation of the presented results can be of huge relevance because they may prevent changes in tendons and metabolic dysfunctions, which lead to mitochondrial damage and tissue breakdown. Hence, new approaches to optimize endurance training and avoid injuries based on the reduction of meals per day are proposed in addition to those existing [ 38 ].…”