Roast ACL Injuries

[SSSSSS]

7 players out with an ACL before round 1 in 2024. Can't remember this many before the start of the season proper. Barring a miracle, none of these players are likely to feature in 2024.

Smith
McStay
Blanck
Silvagni
Hunter
Coleman and Docherty on the same day.

A cursory look at other sports suggests a trend in the number of ACL injuries rising - linked primarily to increase muscular fatigue as a result of workload (particularly noted in women's soccer).

Players these days are bigger and stronger than they have ever been. They run faster and further. Gameplans are increasingly more demanding off and on the ball.

I don't have any solutions or thoughts as to why they are occurring at an increased rate. The above is only just an educated guess.

It ******* sucks though for players and fans.

Hoping for a speedy recover to the above.

 

[dean33]

7 players out with an ACL before round 1 in 2024. Can't remember this many before the start of the season proper. Barring a miracle, none of these players are likely to feature in 2024.

Smith
McStay
Blanck
Silvagni
Hunter
Coleman and Docherty on the same day.

A cursory look at other sports suggests a trend in the number of ACL injuries rising - linked primarily to increase muscular fatigue as a result of workload (particularly noted in women's soccer).

Players these days are bigger and stronger than they have ever been. They run faster and further. Gameplans are increasingly more demanding off and on the ball.

I don't have any solutions or thoughts as to why they are occurring at an increased rate. The above is only just an educated guess.

It ******* sucks though for players and fans.

Hoping for a speedy recover to the above.

Correct me if I’m wrong however ACL’s always seem to be more often in preseason or early season. Probably to do with players not being match conditioned as yet?

 

[HugeJohnson]

AFL needs to come down hard on this, stop letting the knees get away with it or it's gonna keep happening.

 

[Meteoric Rise]

Play barefoot, ACLs would diminish dramatically.

 

[BallaratBulldog]

Play barefoot, ACLs would diminish dramatically.

So would some bubble wrap around the leg.

 

[RUNVS]

Play barefoot, ACLs would diminish dramatically.

Is that true?

 

[Meteoric Rise]

So would some bubble wrap around the leg.

No it wouldn't. You need to be realistic.

 

[Meteoric Rise]

Is that true?

Yes very much so. A lot of leg injuries are caused or exacerbated by two elements of the shoes players wear. First the twisting and turning with the foot gripping in the ground caused by the stops is clearly going to put pressure on knees, ankles groins, backs, hips feet and possibly other body parts.

Then second the unnatural position the shoes put the foot in will promote incorrect running technique causing greater strain on muscles not designed to carry such a load. I have no doubt modern boots have improved in this regard.


Coleman's case it would be tough to see how being barefoot would have helped but perhaps the fact the non kicking foot would't be so stuck in the ground may help to reduce impact on the injured knee.

 

[Lia]

ACL's are fairly common early in the season, 2024 hasn't been out of the ordinary. Probably still warrants some research as to why though.

 

[RUNVS]

Yes very much so. A lot of leg injuries are cause or exacerbated by two elements of the shoes players wear. First the twisting and turning with the foot gripping in the ground caused by the stops is clearly going to put pressure on knees, ankles groins, backs, hips feet and possibly other body parts.

Then second the unnatural position the shoes put the foot in will promote incorrect running technique causing greater strain on muscles not designed to carry such a load. I have no doubt modern boots have improved in this regard.


Coleman's case it would be tough to see how being barefoot would have helped but perhaps the fact the non kicking foot would't be so stuck in the ground may help to reduce impact on the injured knee.

Pity it can't be done in the AFL as being barefoot would lead to a lot of broken toes.

 

[blitzer]

Every year starts out with a bunch of ACL's and they gradually become less common as the year goes on. Its unfortunate for the teams and the players but it happens.

 

[Meteoric Rise]

Pity it can't be done in the AFL as being barefoot would lead to a lot of broken toes.

Why would it lead to broken toes?

When Indigenous kids played Marngrook with possum skin balls before Australian Rules was invented, how many kids broke toes or did ACLs?

 

[le dominateur]

Not much you can do to prevent the Coleman and Docherty ACLs, they were just innocuous incidents that happen multiple times each game.


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[Daka]

We have had years like this before with ACL's where it's prevelant injury with several out early.

 

[Jezzitizle]

Play barefoot, ACLs would diminish dramatically.

I’m just picturing how the rest of world will see us once we start playing our biggest sport* barefooted.

It’ll play into the backwards Croc Dundee stereotype beautifully.


*note - I don’t know if AFL is our biggest sport, but it suits my point so I’ll assert it as a fact.

 

[Rotayjay]

It warrants looking into. But would you ever get all clubs to come to a gentleman's agreement on reducing training workloads? Every club is always trying to get an edge on the others in fitness.

 

[The Hobo]

Yes very much so. A lot of leg injuries are cause or exacerbated by two elements of the shoes players wear. First the twisting and turning with the foot gripping in the ground caused by the stops is clearly going to put pressure on knees, ankles groins, backs, hips feet and possibly other body parts.

Then second the unnatural position the shoes put the foot in will promote incorrect running technique causing greater strain on muscles not designed to carry such a load. I have no doubt modern boots have improved in this regard.


Coleman's case it would be tough to see how being barefoot would have helped but perhaps the fact the non kicking foot would't be so stuck in the ground may help to reduce impact on the injured knee.

Completely agree, though playing with regular shoes, or shoes with much shorter stops would achieve a similar result. Of course we'd see a lot of players slipping over (which would also happen playing barefoot)

 

[Dazb86]

Bring in the knee helmet

 

[AFDogs]

The jumping, pivoting and contact nature of AFL footy unfortunately ACL injuries will always be a common occurence.

I did mine by being grabbed and shifted in a tackle. When it's ready to go, it'll go.

 

[rye]

both the acl injuries on the weekend were just rotten luck really, not much you can do to prevent it happening when physical contact occurs

 

[Senor Ed]

A cursory look at other sports suggests a trend in the number of ACL injuries rising - linked primarily to increase muscular fatigue as a result of workload (particularly noted in women's soccer).

There have been numerous studies showing that women are biologically more susceptible to ACL injuries than men.

 

[_Mike_]

When Indigenous kids played Marngrook with possum skin balls before Australian Rules was invented, how many kids broke toes or did ACLs?

To be fair using historic information as a statement of data relating to cause of injury is drawing a long bow, on the basis there's no records to show either way. You can damage your ACL/MCL/PCL in a number of ways and these are not only footy injuries. However, I can agree that using studded boots on hard ground during the early season has a risk of increase in these injuries due to the amount of sharp sudden turns players make with the speed of today's game. The ground is hard, synthetic turf, slipping turn (Marvel stadium historic knee injuries)

Rewind the game 30 years ago when they played on grass, not synthetic material, which was wetter, damper during the winter months and ACL/MCL injury occurrences wouldnt have been at the rate they are today. The increase in knee injuries today, IMO, is a byproduct of the increased speed of the game.

 

[hawkman]

It warrants looking into. But would you ever get all clubs to come to a gentleman's agreement on reducing training workloads? Every club is always trying to get an edge on the others in fitness.

Reducing training loads would probably make it worse once clubs hit the start of the season with the step up in intensity of games

 

[HBFlanker]

Colemans is a shocker. A very rare way to tear an ACL when the leg bends that way.

I thought more broken leg when i first saw it.

Docherty, unfortunately, will probably see him finish up. Very very difficult to come back from three ACLs to play at this level. Not to mention his far more serious health battles.

 

[Lingsface]

More Pilates less weights in season would be an idea, the weights programs are structured around power and the bigger muscle groups a little more attention to the supporting muscles glute medius and vastus medialis in season would be a good idea.