The Effect of Gender and Height on Hamstring Flexibility in Physiotherapy Students

Koley, Shyamal and Pal Kaur, Satinder (2011, July 20). Correlations of Handgrip Strength with Selected Hand-Arm-Anthropometric Variables in Indian Inter-university Female Volleyball Players.

Hamstring Strains (HS) are identified by acute pain in the thigh with disruption of the muscle fibres, with 47% of all HS studies stating that the BF muscle is affected (3). This can be explained because the BF muscle tendon and muscle fibres are where the most common distribution of the ground force produced during running (3). Eccentric contraction is explained by a study from Guex (4) stating that between 75-85% of the running cycle the hamstrings are undergoing an active lengthening contraction. Having this amount of eccentric contraction upon the muscles has the potential to cause an overuse injury (4). At 85% of the running cycle, the SM, ST, and BF are stretched by 8.7-12.0% which is beyond their optimum lengths (4).

The study of the human body and its movements has been present for centuries. While there has almost always been an interest in the human body and its way of working, modern technology and scientific discoveries have greatly aided modern medicine and research of human anatomy and physiology. These days, the study of medicine is far more extensive than many people understand, and those who want to pursue a medical field have great amounts of work awaiting. Athletic Training as a profession in this day and age involves extensive schooling, training, and focus when on the job.

Overall the study showed that females have much more laxity and males have more stiffness in their joints. When looking at ACL injuries, this can explain why females are more prone to injury than males. The ACL is often injured went the knee buckle or are at an increased valgus force. The positions that showed more laxity are the exact positions injuries occur.

Two mechanisms that could explain a sex difference in the fatigue index is that females have higher capillarization oxygen delivery and oxidative capacity when it comes to mitochondria size and number along with higher concentrations of myoglobin compared to males, hence why they have a much smaller fatigue index than males. Also, males have an advantage in absolute endurance in upper body exercises while the Biodex measures the lower body. The males were less capable of maintaining the contractions from fatiguing in the legs compared to the females because males tend to have type II fibres occupying the whole muscle and due to all the factors talked about in question one (mitochondrial size and number, myoglobin concentration, muscle fibre diameter and capillarization) this would explain why males have a higher fatigue index for this particular

The athletic trainer discovers whether there is an injury present in the hamstring is through special tests. One of the special tests is called the Weber-Barstow Maneuver Test. “First, the patient begins lying in supine position with his or her heels off the end of the table (Special Tests). “The examiner holds the feet of the patient and places the thumbs over the medial malleoli while providing slight traction to the legs” (Special Tests). “The examiner instructs the patient to flex both knees and hips to place the feet on the table aligned next to each other (line up the medial malleoli)” (Special Tests). “The examiner instructs the patient to bridge his or her hips upward and then

There are several factors that explain why more females tear their ACLs. One factor could be the lack of equipment that women get for their sports. Baker explains that

Hamstring strain injuries are one of the most common sport related injuries involving high speed, kicking movements (Marc. A., et al 2004). Despite there being evidence that hamstring strains occur at both stages of movements; the early stance phase where the muscle absorbs the most force as a result of high ground reaction and the late swing phase, the hamstrings eccentrically contract to absorb the kinetic energy and slow the lower limb putting the hamstrings under a large amount of stress (Schmitt. B., et al 2012)

In relation to a person’s pelvic bone, a male’s hip joint is in the inside compared to a women’s whose hip joint is on the outside. Male’s have a longer femur, and because their hip joint is located on the inside, in relation to their pelvic bone, their Q-angle is lower, making them less prone to knee injuries.

According to Dr. Thomas Haverbush, an orthopedic surgeon, a six week training program that was developed in Cincinnati, Ohio was designed to research possible knee strengthening techniques. Within the program, athletes were trained to rely more on hamstring muscles than quadriceps. This was done in order to protect the knee and currently has the possibility of reducing the ratio of knee ligament injuries in female athletes as compared to their male counterparts from five times higher to only one or two times higher.

Having sufficient length in the hamstrings is critical. And in addition being essential in games, for example, football and running, it can turn into a noteworthy benefactor in keeping up or bringing about back torment. A few sorts of back issues are not settled until the hamstrings are returned to sufficient length. It is likewise significant that hamstrings can get shorter as a result of back issues also, along these lines delivering a thick

Our study proposes to examine the effects of a training program on high school female soccer athletes in regards to their risk for an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear using surrogate markers. A randomized control trial will be employed on eligible female soccer athletes that are age fourteen to eighteen taken from two different schools. We will be using a convenience sample with one school being the control group and the other being the experimental group having a total of 56 participants after accounting for attrition. A seven question screener survey was created for this experiment to help screen out possible confounders. Data will be gathered by careful measuring of the exercises performed. More specifically, weight increase, range of motion increase, and repetitions performed. A proportion test will be used to analyze the data. The purpose of this study is to determine if, at the high school level, a specialized exercise program will help decrease the chance of ACL tears through strengthening the hamstrings.

Jackson, A.W., Baker, A.A. (1986). The Relationship of the Sit and Reach Test to Criterion Measures of Hamstring and Back Flexibility in Young Females. Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport, 57 (3), 183-186.

2.) More often than not, they had limited mobility in their joints. (hips and ankles)