The importance of testing and analyzing your body came into the spotlight over the summer. With news coming from the National Football League, we saw how one simple assessment can change everything in your training and performance.

From Injury to Insight

Green Bay Packers Wide Receiver Christian Watson is an up-and-coming player making splashes in his first two seasons. But, a recurring hamstring injury has held him back from becoming great. Hamstring issues are not only very painful, but are nagging injuries that are difficult to fully recover from.

In his first two seasons in the league, Watson missed double-digit games. With the aforementioned hamstring issues, including tears and strains, he struggled to be available for his team.

Looking to overcome his injury history, Christian Watson has worked tirelessly to recover and prevent another setback. Investing tens of thousands of dollars of his own money, he has tried acupuncture, massages, physical therapy, and more. But this past spring, with the help of the NFL, Watson was able to go to the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health to conduct in-depth testing.

Uncovering the Cause

Within the first day of testing, the physiologists uncovered the root cause of his hamstring injuries. They found a 20% disparity in strength between his right and left hamstring. This was discovered through various assessments, likely including force plate testing, which measures the ground reaction force an athlete exerts while performing a particular movement. This test is useful for any athlete whose sport or activity requires explosive power. The data output identifies any muscle imbalances and helps the athlete receive specific information to adjust their training program to maximize performance.

In addition to the force plate testing, another assessment that may have revealed key data is a DXA scan. A DXA scan, which is the “gold standard” in body composition assessment, is a quick and easy process where the athlete lies down on a machine and the arm of the scanner measures the body. This process measures body composition, muscle mass, fat mass and bone density. The DXA scan offers results on a total body scale, as well as segmented data on all the distinct parts of the body. For athletes looking to solve muscle imbalance issues, this test can be a huge difference-maker in understanding your body.

A 20% disparity between two hamstrings is a problem, as anything over 10% is a cause for concern and will have a substantial impact on your body. Both tests are useful for training and will influence how you maximize your potential. Knowing the in-depth data that comes from a DXA scan or force plate assessment helps all athletes with their goals. Here at Human Powered Health, our state-of-the-art performance labs can conduct these tests. Our physiologists work with athletes and help them become aware of any issues creating imbalances like this.

Unlocking Performance

Christian Watson is now working on evening out the strength of his hamstrings. With nagging injuries or an injury you cannot seem to shake off, there may be a deeper root cause that is going unrecognized. For anyone looking to prevent or recover from injuries, comprehensive and data-driven testing will help you avoid or solve problems you face in your training.

We believe proactive health enhances human performance. As we see with Christian Watson, the cause of an injury can be easily missed, which is why we aim to provide all-encompassing data on how your body functions to keep you healthy and performing your best!