Myofascial Zipper Injury of the Biceps Femoris in a Professional Soccer Player: A Case Report

Lesión en cremallera miofascial del bíceps femoral en un futbolista profesional: Reporte de caso

Authors

  • Carlos Alfredo Iñiguez Guzmán Scanner Cuenca Corp
  • Christian Alfredo Andrade Montalvan Club Deportivo Cuenca
  • Jorge Luis Rivera Rodríguez Club Deportivo Cuenca
  • Joel Sebastian Vintimilla Contreras Universidad Católica de Cuenca

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.22258/hgh.v10i3.446

Abstract

Hamstring strain injuries are highly prevalent in elite football; however, the "zipper lesion" pattern presents a specific diagnostic and prognostic challenge due to the involvement of the myofascial interface. We report the case of a 30-year-old professional football player who experienced acute, sharp pain in the posterior aspect of the right thigh following a high-intensity sprint. High-resolution musculoskeletal ultrasound revealed a loss of the normal fibrillar architecture at the myofascial junction of the distal third of the biceps femoris (both long and short heads), associated with Doppler hyperemia, alongside a myofascial separation of the anterior border of the long head measuring 34x21x2 mm (volume: 0.87 cc). The injury was classified as a grade 2/3 myofascial lesion. The patient was managed with ultrasound-guided perilesional platelet-rich plasma injection and a criteria-based functional rehabilitation protocol. This case underscores the clinical value of dynamic musculoskeletal ultrasound in characterizing complex injury variants, thereby optimizing return-to-play decisions in high-performance sports. Keywords: Athletic Injuries; Hamstring Tendons; Muscle, Skeletal; Ultrasonography (Source: MeSH, NLM).

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Author Biographies

Carlos Alfredo Iñiguez Guzmán, Scanner Cuenca Corp

Specialist physician in imaging in Cuenca, Ecuador.

Christian Alfredo Andrade Montalvan, Club Deportivo Cuenca

Médico, Magíster en Medicina y Psicología del Deporte. Jefe del Departamento Médico del Club Deportivo Cuenca.

Jorge Luis Rivera Rodríguez, Club Deportivo Cuenca

Physical Therapist, Master in Sports and Exercise Therapy at Club Deportivo Cuenca.

Joel Sebastian Vintimilla Contreras, Universidad Católica de Cuenca

Rotating Medical Intern at Hospital de Especialidades Eugenio Espejo, from Universidad Católica de Cuenca. Founder of the Medical Interns Research Committee of the Hospital de Especialidades Eugenio Espejo (CIM-HEE).

References

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Published

2026-09-15

How to Cite

Iñiguez Guzmán, C. A., Andrade Montalvan, C. A., Rivera Rodríguez, J. L., & Vintimilla Contreras, J. S. (2026). Myofascial Zipper Injury of the Biceps Femoris in a Professional Soccer Player: A Case Report: Lesión en cremallera miofascial del bíceps femoral en un futbolista profesional: Reporte de caso. Peruvian Journal of Health Care and Global Health, 10(3). https://doi.org/10.22258/hgh.v10i3.446

Issue

Vol. 10 No. 3 (2026)

Section

Case reports

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Copyright (c) 2026 Carlos Alfredo Iñiguez-Guzmán, Christian Alfredo Andrade-Montalvan, Jorge Luis Rivera-Rodríguez, Joel Sebastian Vintimilla-Contreras

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