Head smart about injury in AFL

UTS Researchers: Associate Professor Mark Watsford

It is no surprise that head injuries are common in a sport where players are in repetitive contact as they tackle and wrestle for possession of the ball. In the Australian Football League (AFL) premier competition, concussion injuries are even more common than previously recorded. Along with Dr Nathan Gibbs from the Sydney Swans Football Club, Associate Professor Mark Watsford has used an alternative injury classification definition for concussion to conduct an ecologically valid study of the concussion incidence rate in professional Australian football.

Surveillance studies typically classify “injuries” when a player misses at least one match due to an incident either on or off the field. The rarity of players missing a match after a head collision suggests that concussion incidence may not be accurately recorded. Using one expert physician to acutely diagnose concussion across a 14 year timeframe, Associate Professor Watsford’s study was the first to objectively report longitudinal concussion information from one AFL club and provide an accurate synopsis of concussion incidence in the AFL.

With a better understanding of the relationship of concussion incidence to number of matches played, weather conditions, match time, risk of recurrence and return-to-play outcomes, medical staff from several sports can improve their monitoring of athletes with an elevated risk of recurrent concussion over time. Given the uncertainty surrounding concussion rates in professional sport, along with the potential long-term effects of concussion injury on vision, postural stability, memory, behaviour, and mood, accurate reporting of this injury is crucial for long-term health management of AFL players.

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“The purpose-built facilities at the UTS Moore Park precinct open many doors for extending collaborative research with the Sydney Swans Football Club. The biomechanics and physiology research spaces enable a myriad of possibilities for assessing the strength, power, aerobic fitness and technical capabilities of professional footballers, with a view to enhancing training and performance outcomes.”  - Associate Professor Mark Watsford

Acknowledgement of Country

UTS acknowledges the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation, the Boorooberongal people of the Dharug Nation, the Bidiagal people and the Gamaygal people, upon whose ancestral lands our university stands. We would also like to pay respect to the Elders both past and present, acknowledging them as the traditional custodians of knowledge for these lands.