PhD thesis Joep Suskens
PhD thesis Joep Suskens: Preventive exercises as group therapy for the hamstring muscles. It takes three to tango.
Hamstring injuries are one of the most common type of sports injuries. Although an eccentric knee-orientated exercise, the Nordic hamstring exercise, is very effective in daily practice, the underlying mechanism on muscle physiology of individual hamstring muscles is yet not fully unraveled.
The aim of this PhD thesis was to better understand the preventive mechanism of preventive hamstring exercises. Hamstring muscle activity was described during the Nordic hamstring exercise and during high-speed running, using electromyography. And the hamstring’s response to two eccentric exercises over time on muscle activity and muscle fiber architecture (e.g., muscle fiber length and muscle fiber orientation, measured with diffusion-tensor MRI). With both aims, the degree of cooperation between individual hamstring muscles was investigated to prevent injuries.
Title PhD thesis: Preventive exercises as group therapy for the hamstring muscles. It takes three to tango.
PhD defense date: April 12th, 2024
(Co-)Promotors: Prof. Dr. G.M.M.J. Kerkhoffs, Prof. Dr. J.L. Tol., Dr. G. Reurink.
University: University of Amsterdam (Amsterdam UMC), Faculty of Medicine, department of Orthopedic Surgery and Sports Medicine
Research institute: Amsterdam Movement Sciences, AISS, ACES