PROJECT PARTNERS
None
FUNDING
· The study was funded by ‘NBA & GE Orthopedics and Sports Medicine Collaboration’
BACKGROUND
The current literature on muscle injuries in basketball is limited and there are no clinical studies in elite female basketball. To help advance the field, innovative new techniques can be utilized. Current standard MRI techniques do not allow visualization of individual muscle fiber architecture. Consequently, the quantification of both muscle pathology and muscle architecture is only indirectly estimated by measuring the extent of edema (suggesting minor injury) and hematoma (suggesting fiber disruption) with suboptimal reproducibility and unknown validity.
OBJECTIVES
The main objectives are:
Evaluate and monitor the injury and recovery mechanisms of the hamstrings muscles
Evaluate efficacy of injury prevention programs for the hamstrings and calf muscles
Evaluate the risk of re-injury
Using an innovative Diffuse Tensor (DT) MRI imaging technique, which allows accurate evaluation of the muscle fibers.
FURTHER INFORMATION
For further information and current updates on the project, please refer to our website (only in Dutch): www.hamstringonderzoek.nl