Soccer Injury Prevention: Hamstring Assessment Part 2

 

In Part 1, I briefly explained the anatomy of the hamstring musculature and how pelvic position can affect it’s function. I would highly recommend reviewing part one here before part 2.  For part 2, I wanted to take the time to provide a few assessments that you can use with your soccer athlete’s to see a variety of important issues.

#1 Active Straight Leg Raise Assessment

As far as I know, the active straight leg raise assessment (ASLR) started with the Functional Movement Screen (FMS).   The ASLR is more than a hamstring length test.  It also looks at…

Timing of the Inner Core Subsystem (core stability)

Leg separation (hip flexion on up leg/hip extension on down leg)

Superficial Back Line extensiblility

connected muscle tissue from foot to skull

Not making sense? Watch this video

The standard or goal for ASLR is symmetrical 2′s.  If the athlete has this we should be good to go with training.  Often times, we see an asymmetry from left to ride sides even when the scores are 2′s.  In the FMS this is fine as long as it is within range of the screen.  Taking the PRI courses allowed us to dig deeper down the rabbit hole to see why this may occur.  The right ASLR will have more than the left because of the position of the pelvis in a Left AIC pattern (left hemi-pelvis situated in a state of anterior tilt and forward rotation to the right).  Simply, because the pelvis on the right is oriented in a state of posterior pelvic tilt (the opposite of the left side), it allows the right leg to go farther up.  

What’s the big deal?

After we have done the two basic assessments (adduction drop  & extension drop test) and know they are in a L AIC pattern (if you are not familiar, just realize that we SHOULD see a higher right ASLR compared to left).  A major issue arises when the left side is longer.  This indicates (if in a L AIC pattern) that an already stretched out left hamstring is even more lengthened than it should and one of the reason we can see many hamstring pulls or issues higher up on the left.

Wait till part 3 where there will be a video of the adduction drop and extension drop tests as well as re-positioning exercises to facilitate the left hamstring (if needed) and bring the pelvis back to neutrality.

 

Cheers,

Matt

 

Preventing ACL Injuries Part 1: Ankle Mobility

ACL injury is one injury that seems to continuously occur in many sporting populations, but female athletes tend to be plagued most frequently.  Currently, we have 2 of our girl soccer athletes that returned  a few months ago with knee issues (ACL, knee dislocation).  Programming to prevent these issues comes down to solid programming  and taking a holistic approach (not just looking at the knee!).  One of my favorite posts about ACL prevention comes from one of StrengthCoach.com.
Mike Boyle : ACL Prevention Is Just Good Programming

What to Address First?

Injuries to certain joints, in this case the knee, can be caused from limitations in mobility seen in the joints above and below the site of pain or injury.  For the knee, this means addressing ankle and hip mobility restrictions.  Often times, ankle mobility (decreased dorsiflexion or tri-planar mobility) seems to be decreased because athletes can tape their ankles before every practice and game.  Secondly (not secondary in importance), poor footwear is something that athletes tend to be drawn too (check for high-heeled sneakers, and brick-like stiffness Jordans!).  Another reason why people may lose ankle mobility could be that many people sleep on their stomach which forces the ankles to stay in a plantar flexed position. That’s my opinion.  Looking at the big picture, if someone has a terrible ASLR (active-straight leg raise screen), it may drastically affect ankle mobility.  Looking at the Spiral Line (Anatomy Trains) we see how the fascia of the arches runs up through the knee and up to the pelvis (up to the opposite shoulder). These lines help understand global movement and how our bodies function as a unit. In closing, working on ankle mobility (if limited), helps to restore proper proprioception in order for our body to proper stabilize itself in single-leg stance as well as allow the stress to be evenly distributed throughout the lower extremity.

Ankle Mobility Drills

Cheers,

Matt

Active Straight Leg Raise Corrections

Here are the active straight leg raise corrections (ASLR) that we use with all of our athletes/clients at Endeavor.

• The progression or order is  Mobility driven–>Stability–>Integrate Movement

Why mobility first?

• Proper stability is driven from proprioception
• This quality proprioception is limited with poor mobility

1) Foam Roll calves

2) PNF Hamstring on Wall

3) Supported Leg Lowering:

4) Unsupported Leg Lowering:

5) 1-Leg DB SLDL:

Cheers,

Matt