ALM Note: Anterior Cruciate Ligaments and Turf Condition
Preliminary results of work done by David Aldous from the Centre for Urban Horticulture and Ian Chivers from RaceCourse Solutions on the relationships between playing surface condition and Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) damage suffered by AFL players was presented at a seminar in Melbourne this week. The work funded by the AFL and Horticulture Australia is based on the observations that
twice as many ACL injuries occur outside Melbourne
the number of injuries declines over the season as a straight line for non-Melbourne grounds and a steeper curve initially for Melbourne grounds
similar patterns are found in all football codes played on grass.
The work involves weekly surveys of players on ground condiiton and physical measurement of all grounds every week throughout the season. Results will be published in November
