Small Multifidus Muscle Size Predicts Football Injuries

Abstract

Background: In Australian football, lower limb injuries have had the highest incidence and prevalence rates. Previous studies have shown that football players with relatively more severe preseason and playing season hip, groin, and thigh injuries had a significantly smaller multifidus muscle compared with players with no lower limb injuries. Rehabilitation of the multifidus muscle, with restoration of its size and function, has been associated with decreased recurrence rates of episodic low back pain and decreased numbers of lower limb injuries in football players. Assessment of multifidus muscle size and function could potentially be incorporated into a model that could be used to predict injuries in football players.

Predicting football injuries using size and ratio of the multifidus and quadratus lumborum muscles

“…However, in the playing season, smaller size of either the multifidus muscle or the QL muscle was predictive of injury (Hides & Stanton, ). The results for the multifidus muscle were confirmed in a second study with a larger cohort consisting of 259 professional football players, which showed that decreased size of the multifidus muscle at the L5 vertebral level consistently predicted injury in both the pre‐season and playing season periods (Hides et al., ).…”

“…Independent samples of players were drawn from the player lists of six AFL clubs (261 players) that agreed to participate in a study of the relationship between muscle morphology and injury. Results for the multifidus muscles for the whole dataset have been published previously (Hides et al., ). Within the time constraints to access players, imaging of the QL muscle was obtained from a subset of 62 players at the start of the pre‐season, and 102 players at the start of the playing season.…”

“…The predictive relationship between morphology of various trunk muscles and subsequent injury has been examined in professional footballers in the pre‐season (Hides et al., ) and playing season periods (Hides & Stanton, ; Hides et al., ). Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and ultrasound imaging were used in these studies to measure the cross‐sectional areas (CSAs) of the multifidus QL and other trunk muscles.…”

“…Accordingly, the aim of this project was to determine if the predictive power could be improved by taking into account a possible clinical relationship between the multifidus and QL muscle. The focus of the project was on lower limb injuries including hip, groin, thigh, knee, shin, ankle, and foot, as reported in previous studies (Hides et al., , , ; Hides & Stanton, ). Specific objectives of this project were; (a) to examine the predictive relationship between measures of the multifidus and QL muscles and the incidence of player injuries in the pre‐season and playing season periods, and (b) determine if a ratio of the CSA of the multifidus and QL muscles is a better predictor of injury than CSA of the multifidus muscle alone.…”

Ultrasonographic Assessment of Neck Muscular Size and Range of Motion in Rugby Players

“…Researchers have shown that increased muscle strength and size reduces the risk of injuries. [10][11][12][13] Ultrasound imaging is a relatively inexpensive, portable, non-ionizing, non-invasive and real-time diagnostic modality. Ultrasound imaging is therefore proposed as a means to complement the usual medical assessment approaches by objectively assessing each muscle in the cervical region, and describing size norms for front row players which could be correlated to cervical protective support towards injury prevention in future studies.…”