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Systematic review identifies distinct situational patterns for four major muscle strains in sport, supporting targeted prevention.
7 day briefing • 2026-07-21 - 2026-07-27 (today) • rolling
A systematic review published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine analysed 728 muscle strains from 21 studies via video footage, identifying distinct injury patterns for hamstring, adductor, calf, and quadriceps muscles. Hamstring strains occur during running/sprinting (late swing phase), closed-chain lunging, or open-chain kicking. Adductor strains involve closed-chain direction changes, open-chain kicking, or reaching.
Calf strains, such as tennis leg, occur during closed-chain stepping back with ankle dorsiflexion >10° and knee extension. Quadriceps strains are typically from open-chain kicking. Most strains are non-contact; nearly half relate to running.
The findings support targeted prevention programmes incorporating high-speed running, deceleration exercises, and muscle-specific drills like Nordic hamstring exercises. This evidence-based synthesis provides concrete situational contexts that can inform athletic training and injury reduction strategies.
Navigate Timescales
2026-07-21 - 2026-07-27
2026-06-28 - 2026-07-27
2026-04-29 - 2026-07-27
2025-07-28 - 2026-07-27
Each tier targets the nearest available window end date to this briefing.
Pillar Signal Heatmap
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Foot & Ankle Rehabilitation
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Tendinopathy Management
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Myofascial Release & Acupuncture
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Shoulder Rehabilitation
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Hip & Pelvic Girdle
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General MSK & Emerging Research
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Treatment Protocol Formulation
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Intensity is derived from pillar keyword overlap with headline, summary, key signals, and themes for each horizon.
Trend uses last 5 entries in this 7-day timescale (rightmost point is current).
Key Signals
- - Systematic review of 21 studies (728 strains) using video analysis identifies distinct situational patterns for hamstring, adductor, calf, and quadriceps strains.
- - Hamstring strains most commonly occur during running/sprinting late swing phase, closed-chain lunging, or open-chain kicking.
- - Adductor strains occur during closed-chain direction changes, open-chain kicking, or reaching movements.
- - Calf strains (e.g., tennis leg) occur during closed-chain stepping back with ankle dorsiflexion >10° and knee extension.
- - Quadriceps strains are typically open-chain kicking injuries.
- - Nearly half of all muscle strains are related to running; most are non-contact.
- - Findings support targeted prevention including high-speed running, deceleration drills, and muscle-specific exercises like Nordic hamstrings.
Top Themes
Key References
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Systematic review identifies distinct situational patterns for hamstring, adductor, calf, and quadriceps muscle strains in sport
[BJSM Blog — Front Page Listing]
Primary systematic review providing detailed situational patterns for four muscle strain types, with high quality score and actionable prevention implications.