Rethinking recovery after hamstring muscle injury in elite football: speed exposure normalised to maximal speed reveals hidden sprint reductions after return to play
Víctor Moreno-Pérez, Javier Courel‐Ibáñez, Juan Coso, Francisco J VeraGarcia, Gil Rodas, Héctor Usó et al. · Biology of Sport · 2026
To compare post-RTP changes in match running performance after a hamstring injury using speed thresholds normalised to each player's maximal speed versus traditional absolute speed thresholds in professional football.A total of 327 male professional football players from three LaLiga teams were prospectively monitored over five seasons (2020/2021 to 2024/2025).Among these players, 87 sustained non-contact hamstring muscle injuries that were recorded by team medical staff, confirmed by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or equivalent imaging, and classified in accordance with IOC guidelines.Match running performance was recorded for up to 14 matches after RTP and compared with pre-injury values using both normalised (percentage of maximal speed [%MS]) and absolute (km/h) velocity thresholds.Maximal speed was defined as the highest instantaneous speed recorded for each player from official match-tracking data before RTP within the season in which the hamstring injury occurred.Post-RTP running performance appeared largely restored when assessed using absolute speed thresholds, particularly below 24 km • h -1 (p=0.09-0.50).In contrast, normalised speed metrics revealed substantial performance reductions post-RTP, with reductions of 20-50% at ≥ 65-75%MS in the early post-RTP period (p ≤ 0.01) and 30-60% at near-maximal intensities (> 85-95%MS; p < 0.001).Although partial recovery occurred over time, reductions in normalised sprint-related variables persisted for up to 14 competitive matches post-RTP.Current paradigms in football medicine may overestimate the recovery of sprint-related match performance following hamstring muscle injury.Absolute speed thresholds suggest an early recovery of sprint-related variables, whereas individualised metrics normalised to maximal speed reveal persistent performance reductions that remain undetected by traditional absolute approaches.