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Is There Evidence to Support the Use of the Angle of Peak Torque as a Marker of Hamstring Injury and Re-Injury Risk?

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Abstract

Hamstring strain injuries are the predominant injury in many sports, costing athletes and clubs a significant financial and performance burden; therefore, the ability to identify and intervene with individuals who are considered at high risk of injury is important. One measure that has grown in popularity as an outcome variable following hamstring intervention/prevention studies and rehabilitation is the angle of peak knee flexor torque. This current opinion article will firstly introduce the measure and the processes behind it. Second, the article will summarise how the angle of peak knee flexor torque has been suggested to measure hamstring strain injury risk. Finally, the numerous limitations will be presented and the article will outline how these limitations may influence the usefulness of the angle of peak knee flexor torque measure. These include the lack of muscle specificity, the common concentric contraction mode of assessment, reliability of the measure, various neural contributions (such as rate of force development and neuromuscular inhibition), as well as the lack of prospective data showing any predictive value in the measure.

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Acknowledgments

The authors wish to thank Dr. Stuart Cormack for reviewing the manuscript prior to submission.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Exercise Science, Australian Catholic University, 115 Victoria Parade, Fitzroy, Melbourne, 3065, VIC, Australia

    Ryan G. Timmins & David A. Opar

  2. School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences and Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD, Australia

    Anthony J. Shield

  3. Division of Sport and Science, University of South Wales, Pontypridd, Wales, UK

    Morgan D. Williams

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  1. Ryan G. Timmins
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  2. Anthony J. Shield
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  4. David A. Opar
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Correspondence to Ryan G. Timmins.

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Ryan G. Timmins, Anthony J. Shield, Morgan D. Williams, and David A. Opar confirm that they have no conflicts of interest in regard to the present paper.

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Timmins, R.G., Shield, A.J., Williams, M.D. et al. Is There Evidence to Support the Use of the Angle of Peak Torque as a Marker of Hamstring Injury and Re-Injury Risk?. Sports Med 46, 7–13 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-015-0378-8

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