
Lead author:
Andreas Spagnolo, Malta FA
Co-authors:
Paolo Perna
Nicholas Ripley
Hamstring strain injuries are highly prevalent in professional football and represent a major performance and economic burden. The Nordic hamstring exercise (NHE) is widely used to develop and maintain eccentric hamstring strength, yet practitioners may reduce or remove it during congested fixture periods because of concerns regarding fatigue and delayed-onset muscle soreness. This study aimed to examine the longitudinal stability of eccentric peak force across a 28-week competitive season in professional male footballers. Specifically, it compared eccentric strength during single-match and double-match weeks and investigated whether dominant and non-dominant limbs demonstrated different force outputs throughout the season in elite settings.
