Is the Nordic Hamstring Exercise Actually Effective in Football?
Based on the recent UEFA elite club injury data, hamstring injuries now constitute 24% of all injuries in football.
Back in 2001, the Nordic hamstring exercise programme was introduced to clubs with the aim of reducing hamstring injury rates.
Nordics aim to improve the eccentric strength of the hamstrings at longer muscle lengths.
A systematic review by Nicol van Djk in 2019 found that injury prevention programmes that included nordics resulted in up to a 51% decrease in hamstring-related injuries.
Such findings have been supported in clinical control trials, mainly with the reduction in frequency of hamstring injuries rather than the severity.
Despite the evidence supporting their use as an injury prevention intervention, there appears to be a lack of support for its use from practitioners.
This 2015 survey from Roald Bahr found that only 11% of Champions League and Norwegian Premier League teams fully implemented the Nordic hamstring protocol.
Similar findings were evident in the UK and USA, with only 29% implementing Nordics within their programmes.
So why is the use of Nordic hamstring programmes so low?
One of the major reasons could be due to the eccentric loading resulting in excessive DOMS, which can have a knock on effect for subsequent training and match preparation.
Another may be due to the players reporting feeling uneasy with the Nordic movement.
There is also the risk of developing imbalances between the eccentric and concentric aspects of hamstring strength.
Lastly, sprint movements in football involve high-speed contractions at the shorter hamstring lengths, opposing the target of Nordics at longer lengths.
Therefore, it is recommended to use Nordics in combination with other hamstring prevention exercises, such as hip-dominant exercises (e.g. RDL), pre-training activation and gradual exposure to max velocity running.
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