SynthesisSports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.)2016
Return to Play After Hamstring Injuries: A Qualitative Systematic Review of Definitions and Criteria.
Synthesis in Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.), 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 38 papers, 10 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
38 citing papers in PubMed, 10 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Establishing weighted criteria for return to play after hamstring injury: a systematic review and methodological quality analysis.BMC musculoskeletal disorders · 2026Pooled it
- Return-to-Play Criteria Following Lower Limb Muscle Injuries in Soccer: A Systematic Review with Evidence Synthesis.Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.) · 2026Pooled it
- Time-loss and recurrence of lateral ligament ankle sprains in male elite football: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Scandinavian journal of medicine & science in sports · 2022Pooled it
- The majority of patients return to athletic activity following biceps tenodesis.Knee surgery, sports traumatology, arthroscopy : official journal of the ESSKA · 2021Pooled it
- Association between Functional Performance and Return to Performance in High-Impact Sports after Lower Extremity Injury: A Systematic Review.Journal of sports science & medicine · 2020Pooled it
- Criteria-Based Return to Sport Decision-Making Following Lateral Ankle Sprain Injury: a Systematic Review and Narrative Synthesis.Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.) · 2019Pooled it
- Return to Sport in Athletes with Midportion Achilles Tendinopathy: A Qualitative Systematic Review Regarding Definitions and Criteria.Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.) · 2018Pooled it
- Criteria for Progressing Rehabilitation and Determining Return-to-Play Clearance Following Hamstring Strain Injury: A Systematic Review.Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.) · 2017Pooled it
- Can Clinical Evaluation Predict Return to Sport after Acute Hamstring Injuries? A Systematic Review.Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.) · 2017Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Radial ESWT combined with a specific rehabilitation program (rESWT+RP) is more effective than sham rESWT+RP for acute hamstring muscle complex injury type 3b: a randomized, controlled trial.British medical bulletin · 2025Trial
- Early versus delayed lengthening exercises for acute hamstring injury in male athletes: a randomised controlled clinical trial.British journal of sports medicine · 2022Trial
- Electrical stimulation reduces post-exercise muscle stiffness and enhances flexibility in hamstring muscles.European journal of applied physiology · 2026Article
- From Injury to Impact: Optimizing Return-to-Play Outcomes and Reinjury Prevention via Four-Pillar Rehabilitation Strategy in Elite Football-A Clinical Study in a Sports Scenario.Muscles (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Normative H-Test Values in a Cohort of 113 Healthy Soccer and Track-and-Field Athletes at High Risk for Hamstring Injury.International journal of sports physical therapy · 2026Article
- Comparative Analysis of Speed-Power Performance and Sport-Specific Skills Among Elite Youth Soccer Players with Different Start Procedures.Sports (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Role of Ultrasonography and MRI in Acute Hamstring Strains: Diagnostic and Prognostic Insights.Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Platelet-rich Plasma in Orthopedics: Unraveling Cellular Mechanisms, Therapeutic Potential, and Limitations : Platelet-rich Plasma in Orthopedics.Galen medical journal · 2025Review
- Hamstring T-Junction Surgical Repair: An Elite Footballer's Return to Play Journey Through a New Football-Centered Complex Approach.International journal of sports physical therapy · 2025Article
- Cross-cultural adaptation, reliability and validity of the persian version of the functional assessment scale for acute hamstring injuries.Journal of orthopaedic surgery and research · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundMore than half of the recurrent hamstring injuries occur within the first month after return-to-play (RTP). Although there are numerous studies on RTP, comparisons are hampered by the numerous definitions of RTP used. Moreover, there is no consensus on the criteria used to determine when a person can start playing again. These criteria need to be critically evaluated, in an attempt to reduce recurrence rates and optimize RTP.
objectiveTo carry out a systematic review of the literature on (1) definitions of RTP used in hamstring research and (2) criteria for RTP after hamstring injuries. STUDY
designSystematic review.
methodsSeven databases (PubMed, EMBASE/MEDLINE, CINAHL, PEDro, Cochrane, SPORTDiscus, Scopus) were searched for articles that provided a definition of, or criteria for, RTP after hamstring injury. There were no limitations on the methodological design or quality of articles. Content analysis was used to record and analyze definitions and criteria for RTP after hamstring injury.
resultsTwenty-five papers fulfilled inclusion criteria, of which 13 provided a definition of RTP and 23 described criteria to support the RTP decision. "Reaching the athlete's pre-injury level" and "being able to perform full sport activities" were the primary content categories used to define RTP. "Absence of pain", "similar strength", "similar flexibility", "medical staff clearance", and "functional performance" were core themes to describe criteria to support the RTP decision after hamstring injury.
conclusionOnly half of the included studies provided some definition of RTP after hamstring injury, of which reaching the athlete's pre-injury level and being able to perform full sport activities were the most important. A wide variety of criteria are used to support the RTP decision, none of which have been validated. More research is needed to reach a consensus on the definition of RTP and to provide validated RTP criteria to facilitate hamstring injury management and reduce hamstring injury recurrence. PROSPERO systematic review registration number: CRD42015016510.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.