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Hamstring muscle strains are perhaps the most common muscle injuries in activities where sprinting is involved. There is an especially high rate of re-injury, making recovery a slow and frustrating process. Studies suggest that poor hamstring flexibility is a predisposing factor for muscle strain and negatively impacts athletic performance. Being flexible not only prevents injuries, but improves overall athletic performance. The purpose of this investigation is to examine how Whole Body Vibration (WBV), an increasingly popular method of exercise, affects acute flexibility of the hamstring muscle group. The results of this case study showed that there was a significant increase in hamstring flexibility when short term WBV was coupled with stretching. It is with hope that these findings along with the development of the measuring apparatus will aid future studies of hamstring injury prevention and rehabilitation.
About the author
Selim Nurudeen graduated from the University of Notre Dame in 2005 with a Bachelor of Arts in Industrial Design. There, he was an All-American in track and field. In 2008 he graduated from Arizona State University with Masters of Science in Industrial Design. He was also a semi-finalist in the Beijing and London Olympics in the 110 meter hurdles.
