Our doctors Jesus Olmo and Matthew Stride were interviewed by The Guardian newspaper. The article entitled “Female footballers need better coaching to protect hamstrings, experts say" covered the incidence of hamstring injuries in female footballers.
Hamstring injuries among top-level female players are on the rise. While their incidence used to be lower than among men, the numbers are now changing and are not actually that different. Hence the need for specific training for female footballers to try to prevent these injuries.
Some studies have investigated the main risk factors, including matches played two or three times a week and excessive load on female players’ shoulders.
Other research, however, suggests that the demands of elite women’s football have increased.
“Women are playing more games than they have ever done, but if you increase the workload demand, that is definitely a risk factor for injuries”, said Dr Matthew Stride.
“We believe that prevention is key, and it is crucial to assess players before they experience injury to better understand their unique movement patterns and strategise optimised ways of movement that will keep the individual healthy for longer”, said Dr Jesus Olmo.