AFL injury report warns players re-injure knees

Adelaide Crows forward Taylor Walker after injuring his knee against Carlton in 2013. Source: News Limited

FOOTBALL'S annual injury report suggests Adelaide's fans should have their hearts in their mouths every time key forward Taylor Walker goes near the ball as he returns to the game this season.

For all of the progress made in medical ranks, players keep re-injuring their knees after major surgery.

FJELDSTAD: PLAYERS STILL NEED SOME TICKER TO CROSS THE LINE

At the centre of the AFL report is the recurrence of knee injuries: of 23 knee reconstructions completed in 2013, eight were re-injuries stemming from graft failure.

Three of those came from the LARS operation, which uses synthetic fibre to mend the knee, while the other five came from traditional knee reconstructions, in which a hamstring tendon from either the patient or a cadaver is used to mend the knee.

The report's authors, associate professor John Orchard and Dr Hugh Seward, have noted a dramatic rise in injuries in recent years and it coincided with the more frequent use of the interchange bench.

"There was a statistically-significant increase in both injury incidence and prevalence over the years 2008-2013 (high interchange era) compared to the years 2002-2007 (low interchange era)," the report stated.

"Hamstring strains are still the number one injury in the game in terms of both incidence and prevalence (missed games)."

But the rapid rise in interchanges has not been all bad news.

Hamstring and groin injuries have decreased during the recent trend of having a revolving door on the sidelines while there have been more calf, knee tendon and other leg, foot and ankle injuries.

In other findings in the report:

DR SEWARD attributed the higher incidence of concussion to a more cautious approach to the injury. On average one player per club miss a games due to concussion each season

HAMSTRING strains remain the cause for the most amount of games missed by players, and

THE rate of anterior cruciate ligament injury was higher during pre-season and in the early rounds of the season. Northern teams also reported a higher incidence of ACL injuries.

AFL football operations manager Mark Evans said the league would continue its investment into injury research.

It will be for the benefit of not only the elite level, but also grass roots and junior ranks.

"The AFL remains fully committed to the best interests of player health and welfare and the annual injury survey is a vital tool to address injury concerns and how to address trends within the game,'' Evans said.

"This survey is another way the AFL looks at our 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, while also providing real data for us to consider as part of the debates of rule changes that may be necessary to improve player safety across all levels of our game for both adults and children.''