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Multiple factors can affect rate of hamstring strains in baseball players
Study results have shown base running, history of hamstring injury and time of year can affect the likelihood of future hamstring injuries in professional baseball players.
Researchers reviewed date of injury, activity in which the player was engaged at the time of injury, time loss and other injury data from every major and minor league team recorded in the Major League Baseball’s Injury Surveillance System during the 2011 season. Injury rates were reported in injuries per athlete exposure, which were defined as the average number of in-game participants multiplied by number of games.
Christopher S. Ahmad
Fifty hamstring strains were recorded for the major league teams, and 218 were recorded for the minor league teams. The injury rate of 0.7 per 1,000 athlete exposures was the same for players at both levels; however, major league players missed less average time compared with minor league players (24 vs. 27 days, respectively).
The researchers found that running bases — specifically, running to first base — was responsible for nearly two-thirds of the hamstring strains recorded in the major and minor leagues. Of these injuries, approximately two-thirds resulted in more than 7 days of missed time; missed time of 1 month or longer occurred in approximately 25% of the injuries.
Instances of previous hamstring strains during the 2010 season were found in 20% of the major league players and 8% of minor leaguers. Among major league players, a significantly higher number of hamstring injuries occurred in the early months of the season, according to the researchers.
Disclosure: See the study for a full list of all authors’ relevant financial disclosures.