Injury countermeasures in Australian Football

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Australian football ranks as the thirteenth most popular participation sport in Australia yet it is the largest contributor of sports injury presentations to sports medicine clinics, hospital emergency departments and general practices. Australian football is a high intensity, running and full body contact sport which requires a high level of physical conditioning and technical skill to play. Due to the intense physical nature of Australian football, players are at risk of sustaining both acute and overuse types of injury. A critical review of the range of injury countermeasures used in Australian football was undertaken to determine to what degree these countermeasures have been proven to be effective. Injury prevention measures reviewed included preseason training, physical conditioning, preparticipation screening, warm-up and cool-down routines, playing equipment, footwear, ground conditions, rule adaptation, rule enforcement and protective equipment. Overall, there is a paucity of published studies that have investigated the effectiveness of injury countermeasures in Australian football. Very few countermeasures have undergone formal demonstration of their effectiveness in the field. Modified rules for children, thigh protectors and mouthguards have all been proven to be effective in preventing Australian football injuries. Ground hardness and preseason hamstring muscle weakness have been demonstrated to increase the risk of injury in elite level Australian football. There is evidence from other football codes that rule adaptation and enforcement, external ankle supports, thermal shorts, preseason training, helmets and shin guards can all have a role in reducing the risk of injury. In summary, this critical review demonstrated the lack of formal investigation of injury countermeasures in Australian football.

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