The AFL's annual injury survey has showed that injury rates in 2012 – overall injury incidence, prevalence and recurrence – had decreased from the 2011 season and injury prevalence was its lowest level since the 2008 year.
The AFL injury survey, which was completed for the 21st consecutive year in 2012, is also being published for the first time in the highly-regarded American Journal of Sports Medicine, along with a review of the life of the survey over the last two decades.
The injury results were presented to the AFL Medical Officers' Association earlier this week with other key findings showing that the incidence of hamstring injuries through 2011-12 was significantly lower than the period across 2006-10. Other major leg muscle injuries had diverse results, with quad and groin strains at lower levels in 2012 while calf strains were at higher levels than recent years.
Report authors Associate Professor John Orchard and Dr Hugh Seward said the recurrence rate for all injuries in 2012 was the lowest seen in the history of the report and minimally reduced from the 2011 year, as part of an overall long-term downward trend in recurrence rates.
All clubs in the competition continue to have full participation in the survey and acting General Manager Football Operations, Gillon McLachlan, thanked Dr Seward and Associate Professor Orchard for their ongoing work in leading what has become a source of important information about injury trends in the game.
“In the interests of player health and welfare, the injury survey helps to identify the most important areas for further AFL-funded research, with the primary goal of ensuring the game is safe to play and that our players have the best possible treatment and support when returning from any injury,” Mr McLachlan said.
“"The AFL will continue to consider and implement rule changes where necessary to improve player safety, not just at the elite level, but across all levels of our game for both adults and children," he said.
Mr McLachlan said a major summary of the methods of the AFL injury survey was published a decade ago in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, one of the world’s leading sports medicine journals, while this year’s summary paper in the American Journal of Sports Medicine is believed to be the first co-publication of an annual injury report with a leading scientific sports medicine journal.
In 2012, an 'average club list' of 46 players would now expect to have 7.8 players sidelined due to injury in any given week, compared to a figure of 8.4 players for the 2011 year.
Dr Seward said other findings from the 2012 report included concussion incidence being above the long-term average but still low relative to other injury categories while shoulder injuries, which had been increasing in recent seasons, fell below the 10-year average in 2012.
“The rise in concussion incidence over the last two years in the AFL corresponds with a worldwide trend amongst many sports to recognise the potential long-term effects of concussion and the adoption of a more conservative approach with return-to-play decisions,” the report said.
“Concussion has been an area of focus for the AFL for a number of decades, and current AFL practices for the management of such injuries are consistent with international best practice. AFL guidelines state that no player diagnosed with or suspected of having concussion should take any further part in the match, and players are strongly encouraged by clubs to report all instances of suspected concussion
“The AFL remains strongly committed to player welfare and has introduced several law and tribunal changes in recent years to reduce the risk of head and neck injury such as a reduced tolerance of head-high contact, stricter policing of dangerous tackles, and the introduction of rules to penalise a player who makes forceful contact to another player with his head over the ball.”
Dr Orchard said hamstring injuries remained the leading injury in the game, groin injuries fell further in 2012 and had stayed below the 10-year average, knee and ankle injuries were close to the 10-year average while calf strains were at the highest level seen in the 21-year period.
“It is promising that a long-term trend towards increased injury rates over the last decade does appear to have been arrested somewhat in 2011 and 2012, however further analysis and monitoring is required to determine the effects of the interchange modifications on injury rates.
The authors said it was their view the substitute rule has improved medical management in the AFL, reducing the pressure on doctors to withdraw an injured player from a match in the knowledge there was a substitute player available, in cases where the substitute hadn’t already been used.
A full pdf copy of the final report is attached
Ends
Patrick Keane
AFL Media Manager
