Lower limb muscle strength profiles and injury associations: a two-season prospective cohort study in men's professional rugby union

Strength changes were observed overtime, and post-injury. Players who were weaker from the outset improved whilst those who were stronger struggled to maintain strength. Changes from pre-season to in-season are important since most prospective injury studies only measure strength during pre-season. Strong knee flexor strength alone may not protect from reinjury, and further investigations are required to further support the observations that adductor strength is a protective factor in lower limb non-contact reinjury in rugby union players.