Hamstring injury is one of the most common soft tissue injuries among athletes of any sports that requires sprinting. According to Verrall (2001), 20% of all missed games in Australian Rules Football is due to a hamstring injury. Hamstring injuries are classed into three; Grade I which is mild involves tearing of a few muscle fibres, grade II is moderate and involves a more severe tear and grade III is severe with a complete rupture of the musculotendinous unit ((Kilcoyne, Dickens, Keblish, Rue & Chronister, 2011). An athlete suspected with hamstring injuries will experience a sharp, sudden pain to the posterior thigh while sprinting and the athlete will immediately come to a complete stop due to the pain. Due to hamstring injuries, an athlete
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On top of that, as chiropractic is a conservative approach, diagnosis of hamstring injuries is based on a knowledge of the biological background of the healing process of the muscle (Kujala, Orava, Järvinen, 1997). History taking and a physical examination is needed to obtain an accurate diagnosis. According to Heiderscheit (2010), physical examination by chiropractors includes strength assessment, range of motion and palpation. Manual resistance about the knee and hip is applied during strength assessment of the hamstring muscles and this helps to determine the muscles involved in the injury whereas palpation of the posterior thigh is essential in determining the specific region injured, through pain provocation test. These physical examinations are crucial for producing the best treatment plan possible for the patient to restore normal biomechanics to the hamstring. Therefore, it can be seen that chiropractic plays a role in the diagnosis of a hamstring injury through clinical diagnosis. In spite of that, ultrasounds, X- rays, CT scans and MRI imaging may be used to obtain a much more precise diagnosis and to rule out other problems. X-rays are mainly used to determine an avulsion injury, whereas MRI imaging is used to determine the size and extent of the injury, the specific muscle involved, the location of the injury and the signal intensity of injuries (Greenky, 2017). Furthermore, MRI imaging can be used to estimate recovery period but is unable to determine whether a re-injury will occur in the future. Thus medical diagnostics such as ultrasounds, X-rays, CT scans and MRI imaging may be used to provide a more in-depth
On top of that, as chiropractic is a conservative approach, diagnosis of hamstring injuries is based on a knowledge of the biological background of the healing process of the muscle (Kujala, Orava, Järvinen, 1997). History taking and a physical examination is needed to obtain an accurate diagnosis. According to Heiderscheit (2010), physical examination by chiropractors includes strength assessment, range of motion and palpation. Manual resistance about the knee and hip is applied during strength assessment of the hamstring muscles and this helps to determine the muscles involved in the injury whereas palpation of the posterior thigh is essential in determining the specific region injured, through pain provocation test. These physical examinations are crucial for producing the best treatment plan possible for the patient to restore normal biomechanics to the hamstring. Therefore, it can be seen that chiropractic plays a role in the diagnosis of a hamstring injury through clinical diagnosis. In spite of that, ultrasounds, X- rays, CT scans and MRI imaging may be used to obtain a much more precise diagnosis and to rule out other problems. X-rays are mainly used to determine an avulsion injury, whereas MRI imaging is used to determine the size and extent of the injury, the specific muscle involved, the location of the injury and the signal intensity of injuries (Greenky, 2017). Furthermore, MRI imaging can be used to estimate recovery period but is unable to determine whether a re-injury will occur in the future. Thus medical diagnostics such as ultrasounds, X-rays, CT scans and MRI imaging may be used to provide a more in-depth