Eccentric hamstring exercises – they work in practice but not in theory?

Dr David Opar joins us for this BJSM podcast. David is a lecturer at the Australian Catholic University in Melbourne and one of the emerging voices in the field of hamstring strain injuries, having done work on the possible mechanism of injury as well as prospective studies aimed at better understanding eccentric strength as a risk factor for these injuries. His work also investigates the Nordic Hamstring Device, developed by the Queensland University of Technology Hamstring Group, looking into the potential of this device in prevention, treatment and rehabilitation of hamstring injuries. Nicol van Dyk, a physiotherapist in the Rehabilitation Department at Aspetar Sports Medicine & Orthopaedic Hospital in Qatar, leads the discussion around nordic hamstring exercises, the role of eccentric strength in hamstring strain injuries and the seeing the big picture in prevention and rehabilitation. With hamstring strain injuries continuing to receive much attention in the literature and mainstream media, David Opar elucidates some significant features of this common injury.