The ischiocrural muscles, also known as “hamstrings” (HS), are a group of muscles linked to the most injuries in sport. The so-called “knee flexors” are that group of muscles consisting of the long head of the biceps femoris, the semitendinosus and the semimembranosus. Historically, HS injuries are described as frustrating by the entire sporting branch, being related to very long rehabilitation times, prone to recurrence and having unpredictable return-to-play (RTP) times.
In soccer alone, they make up 12% of all muscle injuries, with a higher incidence during competition hours than during training, with an average increase of 4% each year. Return-to-sport (RTS) times are individual and differ according to the type of activity; they can range from 14 weeks for a soccer player up to 50 weeks in dance. What can also influence the RTS is the area of injury, being the myotendinous junction the most vulnerable. However, the more proximal the injury, the longer the recovery. On the other hand, the mechanism of injury is mainly due to indirect trauma, during non-contact activities and is mainly related to the activity of running.