Key result
Biceps femoris and semimembranosus exhibit up to ~3-fold higher mechanical stress than semitendinosus during strain.
Why the study?
Passive mechanical properties of whole human muscles have rarely been directly measured, despite varying hamstring strain incidence suggesting elongation-associated mechanical stresses may differ among muscles.
Population
BFlh, SM, and ST muscles dissected from eight soft-embalmed Thiel cadavers
Comparison
Comparison of stress-strain relationships among BFlh, SM, and ST muscles
Design
Human cadaver biomechanical study
Authors
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May inform targeted hamstring strain prevention; leaves open in vivo validation before clinical adoption.
p-value: p=< 0.01
The long head of the biceps femoris and semimembranosus experience higher mechanical stress during elongation compared to the semitendinosus, which may explain their higher incidence of muscle strain.
Nakao et al. (2024) studied Hamstring muscle strain (n=8). Elongation to 8% strain vs. Comparison among BFlh, SM, and ST muscles was evaluated on Stress (kPa) at 8% strain (p=< 0.01). At 8% strain, mechanical stress was significantly higher in the long head of the biceps femoris (63.7 ± 12.1 kPa) and semimembranosus (53.7 ± 23.2 kPa) compared to the semitendinosus (21.0 ± 11.9 kPa).
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