The measure of success

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.