AFL- great sport with greater risk!
Jess here,writing a few words about a passion that I have recently found for AFL.
AFL is a super-fast growing sport with both men’s and now women’s comps popping up all over Australia,and is one of the best games to play in the world (I may be a little biased as I play myself). With this increase in participation there’s a whole new wave of AFL-related injuries. Men in midfield positions run on average 15-20kms per game, and women 10-12kms, add this to the sprinting, leaping, kicking and tackling and you get injuries galore.
Muscle strains and ligament tears are the most common injuries in AFL, however both are largely preventable. Injuries can happen due to not preparing your body with pre-season and in season training, being a “weekend warrior” that just plays weekends with no training, weak or asymmetrical muscles, low flexibility, and biomechanical issues (the way your body moves as whole).
But you can prevent injuries! 1. Go to training as often as possible, and if you can make training, make some time in your week to do some activities related to your sport, whether it be sprints, direction-change running, or ball work.
2. If injuries present, speak to a health professional: we can identify the current issues in your body that may be predisposing you to injury, or aid in fixing current injuries to keep you in the game for as long as possible. We can also advise in training load and activities to increase endurance.
Happy sporting!
Jess
