A retrospective analysis of hamstring injuries in elite rugby athletes: More severe injuries are likely to occur at the distal myofascial junction

Objectives: To describe the most common hamstring injury scenarios and outcomes in elite rugby union. Design: Retrospective investigation. Setting: Hamstring injury data from an elite rugby union team was collected over five seasons and retrospectively analysed. Participants: 74 professional rugby players. Main outcome measures: Injuries were classified as new or recurrent. Injury severity, activity, player position, and whether the injury occurred during a match or training was determined for each injury. Injury location and grade were determined for more clinically severe injuries where Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) data was available (15 injuries). Results: Thirty hamstring injuries were sustained over the five seasons. The majority of injuries were new (93%), moderate in severity (60%) and occurred during running (77%). For more clinically severe injuries, the biceps femoris long head (BFlh) was the most commonly injured muscle (73%) and the distal myofascial junction (DMFJ) was the most common injury site (58% of BFlh injuries). Conclusions: Hamstring injuries most commonly occurred while running and in the BFlh muscle, which is similar to other sports. However, the most common intramuscular injury site was the DMFJ, which contrasts with reports from other cohorts. Future studies should ensure to include the myofascial junction when classifying injury location.