Abstract
Purpose. The Nordic hamstring exercise (NHE) has been shown to be successful in reducing hamstring muscle injury (HMI), which is one of the most common non-contact injuries of the lower limbs. This is especially pertinent in sports that require acceleration, maximal sprints, and sudden changes in the direction of running and sprinting, such as soccer and rugby. This study aimed to evaluate the awareness, implementation, and opinions of athletes worldwide regarding the effectiveness of NHE in preventing hamstring injury.
 Materials and methods. A self-administered questionnaire was distributed to 1500 athletes from different sports. The survey consisted of six questions covering country, gender, type of sport, awareness, implementation, and opinions of athletes worldwide regarding the effectiveness of NHE in preventing hamstring injury. The survey was available in ten different languages.
 Results. A total of 1142 male and female athletes from different sports participated in the survey. More than half of the athletes 641 (56%) were aware of NHE, and only 519 (45.4 %) were implementing NHE in their current training routines. Athletes who implemented NHE reported a positive opinion regarding the program’s effectiveness with a score of 8.4 ± 1 out of 10.
 Conclusions. Many athletes were aware of NHE and implemented it in their training routine since they found it to be effective in decreasing hamstring injury rates. However, additional work must be done to educate athletes about the importance of implementing this exercise and its effectiveness in preventing hamstring injury.
Highlights
The most common lower limb injuries in sports are hamstring muscle injuries (HMIs), which occur in sports involving high-speed running, such as rugby, baseball, basketball, soccer, and American football
A total of 1142 male and female athletes from different sports participated in the survey
Many athletes were aware of Nordic hamstring exercise (NHE) and implemented it in their training routine since they found it to be effective in decreasing hamstring injury rates
Summary
The most common lower limb injuries in sports are hamstring muscle injuries (HMIs), which occur in sports involving high-speed running, such as rugby, baseball, basketball, soccer, and American football. HMIs are considered the most common noncontact injuries in these sports They can occur due to direct trauma to the muscle fibers (Reurink et al, 2014). Stretch-type injuries are caused by a slow or sudden uncontrolled stretch that can occur in sports, such as dancing, gymnastics, and water skiing (Ekstrand et al, 2012). These injuries occur in the proximal free tendon of the semimembranosus muscle. Sprint-type HMIs usually occur in the late swing phase during sprinting when the hamstring submaximally stretches over the knee joint before the foot hits the ground (Chumanov et al, 2011)
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