Local soccer players needed for clinical tests into hamstring injuries
Researchers from the University of Western Sydney are calling for local soccer players to take part in a clinical study aiming to curb the high amount of hamstring injuries among players.
The researchers are looking for male players aged between 18 and 35 who participate in competitive soccer matches and are interested in having their physical capabilities clinically tested.
As part of the study, the players will be required to attend the state of the art science labs at the UWS Campbelltown campus for two hours on three separate occasions, where they will be performing vigorous soccer-specific exercises and tests measuring their strength, flexibility, speed, and endurance.
Dr Ric Lovell from the UWS School of Science and Health says hamstring injuries are very common in sports such as soccer, rugby and AFL, and this research may help players reduce the amount of time they spend on the sidelines.
“Nearly half of all hamstring strains occur during the latter stages of the first and second halves of soccer matches, which suggests fatigue is a major risk factor,” says Dr Lovell.
“This study will investigate whether injury prevention exercises in either a rested state before soccer training, or a fatigued state afterwards, effects the players resistance to hamstring injuries in the late stages of training sessions and matches.”
The first stage of the study will examine how the players’ muscles respond to strengthening exercises incorporated in the warm-up and cool-down parts of training sessions.
The second stage of the study will involve a 12-week training period, where players from three soccer clubs will be allocated different injury prevention programs to better assess the adaptation of hamstring muscles and their resistance to injury.
“Information from this research will lead to better injury prevention programs for both grass-roots and professional players,” says Dr Lovell.
If you are interested in working with experts in sports science and being a part of these exciting research studies, email r.lovell@uws.edu.au for further information.
Ends
31 January 2013
