The effects of the Nordic hamstring exercise on sprint performance and eccentric knee flexor strength: A systematic review and meta-analysis of intervention studies among team sport players

Iker J Bautista; Juan Vicente-Mampel; Luis Baraja-Vegas; Víctor Segarra; Fernando Martín; Bas Van Hooren

doi:10.1016/j.jsams.2021.03.009

The effects of the Nordic hamstring exercise on sprint performance and eccentric knee flexor strength: A systematic review and meta-analysis of intervention studies among team sport players

J Sci Med Sport. 2021 Sep;24(9):931-938. doi: 10.1016/j.jsams.2021.03.009. Epub 2021 Mar 22.

Authors

Iker J Bautista¹, Juan Vicente-Mampel², Luis Baraja-Vegas², Víctor Segarra³, Fernando Martín⁴, Bas Van Hooren⁵

Affiliations

¹ Department of Physiotherapy, Catholic University of Valencia, Spain. Electronic address: ij.bautista@ucv.es.
² Department of Physiotherapy, Catholic University of Valencia, Spain.
³ ProElite Performance, CESADE Physiotherapist Clinic, Spain.
⁴ Department of Physical Education and Sports, University of Valencia, Spain.
⁵ Department of Nutrition and Movement Sciences, UNTRIM School of Nutrition and Translational Research in Metabolism, Maastricht University Medical Centre+, The Netherlands.

PMID: 33893033
DOI: 10.1016/j.jsams.2021.03.009

Abstract

Objectives: The primary aim of this study was to investigate the effects of the Nordic hamstring exercise (NH_E) on sprint performance (i.e., 5, 10 and 20m) and explore associations between study characteristics and sprint outcomes in team sport players. Secondary aims were to (1) investigate the effects of the NH_E on eccentric strength of the knee flexors (ES_KF) with categorical subgroup analysis to determine differences between recreationally, well-trained individuals and young athletes, (2) determine the relation between ES_KF and sprint performance in team sport players, and (3) explore the effect of study characteristics (i.e., weekly volume, time duration and body mass) on ES_KF.

Methods: Electronic databases were searched until the 20th of June 2020. 17 studies met the inclusion criteria. Random-effects meta-analyses were used to determine the mean difference (MD) or standardized change of mean difference (SCMD) between NH_E and control group for sprint time and ES_KF, respectively.

Results: NH_E interventions showed a positive effect on sprint performance (-0.04s [-0.08, -0.01]). Sub-group meta-analyses indicated no significant differences in 5 and 20m sprint performance (MD_sprint(5m)=-0.02s [-0.10, 0.06]) and (MD _sprint(20m)=-0.05s [-0.30, 0.19]), respectively. A significant difference was however found for 10m sprint performance (MD_sprint(10m)=-0.06s [-0.10, -0.01]). Meta-analysis on the effects of the NH_E on ES_KF showed a significant benefit of 0.83 SCMD [0.55, 1.12] in favour of the intervention group.

Conclusions: Studies with some concerns or high risk of bias show that training programs involving the NH_E can have small beneficial effects on sprint performance in team sport players. Studies with some concerns or high risk of bias showed moderate beneficial effects on ES_KF among a sample of relatively untrained individuals. However, for well-trained team sport players, the improvements in ES_KF were less consistent, suggesting a higher training intensity during the NH_E may be required to induce adaptations.

Keywords: Eccentric strength of knee flexors; Muscle strength; Nordic hamstring exercise; Sprint time.

Publication types

Meta-Analysis
Systematic Review

MeSH terms

Athletic Performance / physiology*
Bias
Female
Hamstring Muscles / physiology*
Humans
Knee
Male
Muscle Strength / physiology*
Physical Conditioning, Human / methods
Physical Conditioning, Human / physiology
Running / physiology*
Team Sports*