Hand, Finger and Wrist Injuries may be Creating Post Retirement Headaches in Australian Football League Players

Abstract

Objective: In the Australian Football League (AFL) an injury is only recorded when it causes a player to miss a match. This recording method indicates a predominance of lower limb injuries, although the Victorian Injury Surveillance Unit has shown the upper limb to be involved almost twice as commonly as the lower limb. We hypothesize that hand, finger and wrist injuries in AF are an under-recognized entity due to the ability of players to continue play without missing subsequent games. The aim of this study is to estimate the true incidence of hand, finger and wrist injuries in elite AF players, through a prospective study of all hand, finger and wrist injuries at a professional AFL club during an entire season.Methods: This is a prospective cohort study of all senior and rookie players at an AFL club examining the incidence and epidemiology of hand, finger and wrist injuries during the 2015 AFL season.Results: An incidence of 25.0 injuries per season requiring treatment in 27 players was recorded during the 2015 AFL schedule. A total of two games were missed due to metacarpal fracture. All other players continued to play with their injury during the season with three players requiring surgery post season. A hand, finger and wrist injury incidence of 43.8 per 1000 exposures was recorded, equating to 22.6 injuries per 1000 contact hours.Conclusion: Hand, finger and wrist injuries in AF are an under-recognized entity due to the ability of players to continue play without missing subsequent games. This study highlights a tendency to minimize the impact of hand, finger and wrist injuries within AF and the scientific literature, and raises further questions regarding injury reporting and management within professional sports. We recommend the adoption of more detailed